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Presented Alive by Many Proofs (Acts 1:1-8)
22 Plays1 month ago
Sunday Message recorded 05 April 2026
by Senior Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
Recommended
Transcript
Sunrise Service at Beesons
00:00:06
Speaker
This morning I attended the sunrise service at Beesons. If you've never gone, then I hope that one of these times that you can make it. It's not always possible, understand, but if if it ever is where you can go, i think you'd be blessed.
00:00:21
Speaker
The Minister Alliance is now sponsoring it.
Broader Church Involvement
00:00:25
Speaker
Before it would be the Baptist Church, our church, and the Methodist Church, and we would do it together. And those were sweet times, but now it's even broader, and today, the Nazarene pastor, Pastor Michael Thompson, he brought the message at the sunrise service.
00:00:41
Speaker
And I thought it was really interesting.
Stone Rolled Away by God
00:00:43
Speaker
He read Mark 16 verses one through four, where the the ladies that went to the tomb, they were stressed and they were saying, how we ever going to roll that stone away?
00:00:54
Speaker
And so it says when they got there, they looked up and the stone was rolled away that God had done it. And so what he said was, do you have anything in your life that you can't fix.
00:01:07
Speaker
He said, I'm going to tell you where to look whenever you can't fix something. Look up. Anyway, it was really good. And so I appreciated so much what he had to say.
Personal Devotion and Truth
00:01:19
Speaker
um Yesterday in my quiet time, i have a personal devotion time. i hope you do as well. Every day I try to read some in God's word and he speaks to my heart. And one word he gave me was about today and about the message. We're gonna look at Acts 1, Acts chapter 1, verses 1 through 8.
00:01:38
Speaker
But before we go there, I just wanna share this one verse with you from Proverbs 12, verse 17, because the Holy Spirit said, this applies to what you're gonna share on Sunday
Disciples Struggle with Belief
00:01:50
Speaker
morning.
00:01:50
Speaker
So I was like, okay, I wanna write this down. But here's what it says in Proverbs 12, 17. Whoever speaks the truth whoever speaks the truth Do that Jesus spoke the truth about his suffering his death his burial his resurrection he told the disciples three times it's recorded in matthew
00:02:23
Speaker
recorded in Mark, recorded in Luke, three different times in three different gospels, all three record all three times. He told them what was coming. He told them the truth, but they had trouble believing it.
00:02:38
Speaker
Do you realize that even after he was raised from the dead, even after the resurrection, they still had trouble believing it. I just wonder if today's message is for someone just like that.
00:02:52
Speaker
It's not that you're anti-Christian or against God or against the word. You just have some honest questions. And you're saying, I just find it hard to believe because I've never seen anything like that happen in my life.
00:03:08
Speaker
Well, that's what makes Jesus unique. He's the only one that God the Father raised from the dead. And it was because he lived a perfect life.
00:03:18
Speaker
And so despite being told the truth, All four gospel accounts, ah they all talk about this disbelief that the disciples had. As a matter of fact, there was one disciple named Thomas. If you're here today and your name's Tom or Thomas, this is not about you, okay? This is about this guy. But anyway, Thomas said this, unless I see in his hands the marks of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails and place my hand into his side,
00:03:52
Speaker
I will never believe.
Sir Edmund Clark on Resurrection Evidence
00:03:53
Speaker
I will never believe. So what is the Lord going to do to convince these early followers of the validity and of the reality of the resurrection?
00:04:06
Speaker
I think we're going to find an answer in Acts 1 verses 1 through 8. But especially, i want you to listen to verse 3. Because verse 3 says, he presented himself. So Jesus is the one doing the presentation of the evidence, right?
00:04:20
Speaker
He presented himself alive to them after his suffering. By many proofs. That's what we're going to look at. We're probably not going to finish that this day, but we're going to finish it next Sunday. So I want to invite you to come back.
00:04:36
Speaker
But there was a British attorney, a legal scholar actually named Sir Edmund Clark. And here's what he said about this verse and about all of these things, this proof.
00:04:47
Speaker
He said, as a lawyer, I've made a prolonged study of the evidences for the first Easter day. To me, the evidence is conclusive.
00:04:59
Speaker
And over and over again in the high court, I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling. As a lawyer, I accept it unreservedly as the testimony of men to facts that there were a they were able to they were able to substantiate.
00:05:24
Speaker
I think that's well said. And that's said by someone who was used to trying to get down to the truth, who wanted to go by the facts.
Luke's Accurate Accounts
00:05:33
Speaker
You know, you're going to find that this book of Acts was written by a man named Luke.
00:05:39
Speaker
And so Luke happened to be a physician. You know, physicians are also men who want to deal with the facts. That's why they do an examination before they give a prognosis or a diagnosis, because they're wanting to know what are the facts? What's the truth?
00:05:56
Speaker
Well, this guy that wrote the book of Acts, Luke, he was a physician, according to Colossians 4.14. So he would investigate. He would do his research. Luke was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the gospel of Luke and...
00:06:12
Speaker
and the book of Acts that we're about to read from. Together, they both comprise, get this, 30% of the New Testament. And yet, isn't it amazing? Luke was the only Gentile writer, but yet he was so inspired by the Holy Spirit. He was careful in all that he did. i want you to see how careful he was. This is not from Acts. This is from Luke, but it's setting us up for what we're about to read in Acts.
00:06:39
Speaker
Inasmuch as many... have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us.
00:06:57
Speaker
He goes on and says, "'It seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past,' to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things...
00:07:16
Speaker
you have been taught that you may have certainty, but he, he dedicates it to someone. He's writing to someone. When he wrote the gospel of Luke, he was writing to someone. His name was Theophilus. Now, what I find interesting is when he wrote volume two, the book of Acts, he dedicates it to the same guy.
00:07:35
Speaker
He's still writing to the same man in the first book. We're going to read in a moment. Oh, Theophilus, I've dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. Until the day when he was taken up.
00:07:49
Speaker
After he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. It's almost like Luke says, these are two. You need to paperclip them together.
00:08:00
Speaker
And the way he paperclipped it together, he said, Luke was written for Theophilus and Acts was written for Theophilus. And why again tell us, Luke?
00:08:12
Speaker
Why did you reap write this? I wrote it so that you would know the certainty of the things that you have been told.
Honoring God's Word
00:08:20
Speaker
To know the certainty. So I want you, as we look through Acts chapter 1, verses 1 through 8, to listen for seven articles of evidence. I believe that these will help to give you faith, certainty, confidence. In the word of God. No one is asking you to take a blind leap into the dark.
00:08:43
Speaker
That's not biblical faith. I want you to stand in honor of God's infallible and errant word. And I want to read verses 1 through 8. Listen closely to what Luke wrote.
00:08:56
Speaker
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. Until the day when he was taken up. after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, he presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
00:09:24
Speaker
And while staying with them, he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, you heard from me,
00:09:35
Speaker
For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
00:09:51
Speaker
And he said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons that the father has fixed by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.
00:10:12
Speaker
Let's pray one more time. Lord, it's your word. Just turn it loose. Lord, these are the proofs that you have given to us. And so, Lord, I love this church family. I love my community of Columbus.
00:10:25
Speaker
And I just want them to see that we can trust you in what you said in your word. So bless us, O Lord, and may this strengthen our faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In his name and for his glory we pray.
00:10:40
Speaker
Amen. Thank you. may be seated. Now keep in mind that Luke is writing Acts about 31 to 33 years after Christ's resurrection.
Eyewitnesses and Transformation
00:10:52
Speaker
It's going to take him a long time to write all 28 chapters there. And that time that he's covering, the content is about 30 to 61 years. Somewhere in there is when he was writing in this passage.
00:11:07
Speaker
But I want us to see the seven realities or seven proofs of Christ's resurrection. Let's deal with the first one first. Look at verse one into verse two.
00:11:17
Speaker
I think the first um proof that we have is the confirmation of multiple written accounts. This is not something that God is asking you to believe because somebody scribbled it on a napkin somewhere.
00:11:32
Speaker
Somebody put it on a sticky note somewhere. No, it was way more than that. As a matter of fact, he says, I wrote the first book. The first book, remember, was Luke, the Gospel of Luke.
00:11:44
Speaker
And the Gospel of Luke was given to show us the works of Jesus and the wisdom of Jesus. So we're going to say, okay, that's what the Gospel of Luke was about. But notice he says, when Jesus began to do and teach, what he began, he's still moving.
00:12:02
Speaker
He's moving in the book of Acts and he's still moving in our community. You know, there were other written accounts besides just Luke's gospel. There was also Matthew and Mark and John.
00:12:14
Speaker
When you get into 1 Peter and 2 Peter, you'll hear Peter say, yes, you know, I saw the risen Lord. Even in the book of Hebrews, you could go there and see that Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father.
00:12:28
Speaker
Well, three times in Acts, a man named Paul, he was named Saul, but he was anti. He did not want to follow Jesus Christ and was trying to arrest and put in prison or even murder those who were following Jesus Christ.
00:12:43
Speaker
But he had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and it's amazing what happened. His life changed and your life will change. If you ever come to know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, your whole life, your outlook, your attitudes, your words, everything changes when you come to know the Lord.
00:13:04
Speaker
And it's interesting how Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, he included Paul's testimony three times. He wrote it in Acts chapter 9, in Acts chapter 22, in Acts chapter 26. There's so many different things that were written so that we can know, wait a minute, there's a lot of eyewitnesses that are going on record here. How many people does it take in a U.S. court of law to establish something as as fact?
00:13:33
Speaker
Wouldn't it be two or three witnesses? I mean, just think about this. This is incredible. The number of witnesses that are all writing, and saying, I want future generations to know that this meant a lot to me, that I saw Jesus risen. He was raised from the dead.
00:13:52
Speaker
1 Corinthians 15, 1 through 11, we'll talk about that a little bit later, but there's just so many right in a row. If you were to start the little letter called 1 John, there's John's gospel, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John. If you were to read 1 John, you would see that the apostle John validates Jesus' resurrection with these kind of verbs.
00:14:14
Speaker
He said, I saw him. He said, I heard him. He said, I actually touched him. You know, that's that's amazing. Wouldn't that be verifiable evidence when someone says, I saw him, I heard him, I touched him. And not just one person, many people.
00:14:31
Speaker
So let's just put down first the confirmation of multiple written accounts. But let's look next and maybe you'd say, wait a minute. I mean, it was a long time ago. Well, let's play fair then. If we're gonna say that, how would you know?
00:14:45
Speaker
How would you know, for example, there really was a guy named Alexander the Great. Did you see him? But you believe him, right? The earliest written sources to verify the existence of Alexander the Great, they were written 300 years after his life.
00:15:00
Speaker
Whereas Jesus' life, his resurrection, was written between 20 to 70 years after his life. Did you know that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is reinforced by more than 10 ancient sources today?
00:15:13
Speaker
outside of the scripture. So what I want you to see is there's a lot of things that have been written and they were written for a purpose. God was over overseeing the writing of each one of these gospels so that we could know the truth so that we could have certainty whenever we hear the word of God. But let's move to the second thing.
00:15:33
Speaker
How about the affirmation of various reliable eyewitnesses? You know, verses two and three, listen closely to verse three. He presented himself alive to them, not to him, not just a one person to a multiple. There was a group of people there.
00:15:53
Speaker
And so he says he presented himself to them after his suffering. So these were eyewitnesses. This is after his suffering. This is after his death. This is after his resurrection.
00:16:04
Speaker
So this is incredible that this happened. The New Testament actually records not just one post-resurrection appearance of Jesus, but 11 if you count Paul that we talked about earlier.
00:16:18
Speaker
10 if you say, well, let's don't count Paul's. So 10 different people, 10 different groups sometimes, they said, they go on record as saying, i saw it. He really did rise from the dead. I didn't believe it was possible before, but I can't believe it that he's standing before me now.
00:16:35
Speaker
You can also see a change that takes place in the disciples. A lot of scholars that study the Bible, even people that are in legal professions and so forth that have tried to disprove the resurrection, they keep bumping up against this.
00:16:50
Speaker
All of those disciples were so discouraged. They began to think it was over. They thought when Jesus died on the cross, that was it. But you know what? Something changed.
00:17:00
Speaker
Something changed immediately. Their whole outlook as they began to say, we're not fearful anymore. We don't care what the Romans do to us because we know Jesus overcame death.
00:17:12
Speaker
It's amazing. This group of disciples, the Christians, they were known for honesty. They weren't known for duplicity. They were known to be honest. They were known for their purity.
00:17:24
Speaker
They were known for forgiveness. They were known for peace. They were known for hope. They were known for love. I mean, this would have been a group that anybody would have wanted to be a part of.
00:17:36
Speaker
you know, all of them, except for one apostle, John, all of them were martyred. Now, would they go to their death if they knew that they made the whole thing up?
00:17:47
Speaker
No. No, they knew it was true. And that's why they were willing to lay down their lives. As a matter of fact, they say that Peter was crucified upside down. And you may say, that's weird. Why would they crucify him upside down? Well, that was his request.
00:18:03
Speaker
He said, I'm not worthy to be crucified like my savior. So just put me upside down. But you know what Peter wrote in Acts 3.15? Or I should say Luke wrote.
Undeniable Resurrection Evidence
00:18:14
Speaker
He recorded something that Peter said. And in Acts 3.15, it's not far from where we are now. Here's what Peter said. He says to the Jews that were living in Jerusalem, you killed the author of life whom God raised from the dead. And then he says this to this week.
00:18:36
Speaker
All those 11 disciples, we are witnesses. Man, later in his letter, 2 Peter 1.16, Peter said, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
00:18:49
Speaker
Oh, don't you see what I'm saying, friend? him I'm saying that you don't have to check your mind when you become a Christian to turn from sin and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
00:18:59
Speaker
Because Jesus has made sure that there's verifiable evidence. There's a lot of evidence in the scriptures. Yes, in the end, you'll have to still believe the Lord. You'll have to still take it by faith.
00:19:12
Speaker
But I just want you to know that there's there's really evidence great pieces of evidence that are presented before us. Let's go to one more before we close our message today.
00:19:24
Speaker
The compilation of undeniable, verifiable evidence. The compilation of undeniable, verifiable evidence. You know, he says here by many proofs.
00:19:36
Speaker
Some translations even say, you know, infallible proofs and so forth. That's the whole idea of a proof, right? It is infallible. So I guess they thought, well, it's included in the word.
00:19:48
Speaker
But I wanted you to look with me at Luke chapter 24. How could Jesus... Prove it to his disciples. Look with me at Luke 24. Do you have a skeptic in your life?
00:20:00
Speaker
Is there someone that says, hey, I hear this every year, you know, at Easter, I just can't believe it. Well, you know what? They're not alone. don't make it Don't make fun of your friend or your family member who's struggling with some of those things.
00:20:16
Speaker
I'll just tell you what you can share with them that'll give peace for the skeptic. If you look at Luke 24, beginning with verse 36.
00:20:27
Speaker
Beginning of verse 36, it says, as they were talking, so the disciples are in a locked room. They're in there visiting with one another about all these things that happened. Jesus had died. Some are saying he's alive.
00:20:39
Speaker
And then get this. Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, peace to you. But they were startled and frightened. If Jesus just came and walked down the aisle, would you be frightened?
00:20:51
Speaker
I guarantee I would. i don't know if I'd fall down and worship or I'd run out that door, but I'm telling you, I would not be calm about it. But they were startled and frightened and thought,
00:21:04
Speaker
They saw a spirit. You see, the resurrection of Christ is what they say in theological circles. It was a bodily resurrection.
00:21:15
Speaker
So the same man that died, his body was raised. So get this. And he said to them, why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
00:21:27
Speaker
See my hands and my feet that it is myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
00:21:43
Speaker
And while they still disbelieved for joy, see, they still can't get it. It's like, I've never seen anything like this. And we're marveling. He said to them, have you anything here to eat?
00:21:55
Speaker
They gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate Before them. Isn't that amazing? Jesus, how are you going to give them undeniable, verifiable evidence that you are risen from the dead?
00:22:13
Speaker
Well, he says, here's what I'm going to do. Verse 36 to 38. I'm to, I'm going to use the verification of the senses. going use the verification of the senses. You see me.
00:22:24
Speaker
You can hear me talking to you. And now what I want you to do is put your fingers in the nail prints. Put your hand in my side and you will know that it is me. Wow, that would be pretty ver verifiable. So a verification of the senses, but also the examination of the scars.
00:22:41
Speaker
Examination of the scars in verses 39 through 43. But you may say, well, yeah, but it' is that all? Like, yes, he ate something. And yes, I know that he had his ah hands, his feet there. Is there is that all?
00:22:56
Speaker
Oh, friend, listen. All you got to do is spend time in God's word and God will show you way more.
Proofs of Resurrection Credibility
00:23:02
Speaker
I made a little list of some other things that I feel like are verifiable evidence. For example, you know what Pastor Thompson was talking about today.
00:23:10
Speaker
You know, that stone. Do you know that the stone back then averaged between one to two tons So did Peter move the stone? I don't think Peter was capable of moving that stone.
00:23:23
Speaker
As a matter of fact, they said that what they used to do is they get the Roman soldiers to roll the stone kind of uphill. And then they made sort of like a ah gradual descent there. And then when they were ready, they just took that rock or that wedge, whatever they had in there, and that big stone would roll across there.
00:23:43
Speaker
Nobody could easily roll away that stone. But that stone was rolled away. And you see, I think that's evidence. But there's also the evidence of that empty tomb.
00:23:54
Speaker
It's not that big of a deal to prove it to us here in Columbus. But I tell you what was a bigger deal. Prove it to the people who could go to the tomb. All they had to do was produce the body.
00:24:06
Speaker
Game over. All their claims are done. They couldn't do it. You know why? Because the tomb was empty. I think that's that's amazing that the tomb was empty, the stone was rolled away.
00:24:18
Speaker
And I think, is there anything else? Well, there were the guards. See, those guards, those Roman guards back then, the scholars who did study on the history of Rome, they discovered something about those guards who were posted after someone died.
00:24:33
Speaker
What they were accountable for was the incentive program. The incentive program was easy. It was like, you will stay there and you will not leave your post.
00:24:44
Speaker
If you leave your post, then we will kill you when we find you we We will find you We will hunt you down. So can you imagine those guards? You know, it's like he got away. i don't know how he got away. i mean, this is incredible because he was dead.
00:24:59
Speaker
he just got away. He walked out of here. They ran and told him if he could read about it at the end of Matthew. So the chief priest said, we can't have that. Look, here's some money. Here's some money. Here's some money. You guys just tell people that his disciples came and stole the body away.
00:25:15
Speaker
And so it's like, no, they didn't. They couldn't have done this. The grave clothes themselves. They they they put about 75 pounds of spices on the body.
00:25:27
Speaker
And so can you imagine getting up? with 75 pounds on your chest. I mean, at the gym, I can i can do 75 pounds, but you know there's a limit there. you know But ah appearances to women who followed him.
00:25:42
Speaker
you know Think about, okay, back in the days of the Roman Empire, Would the word of women have been valued like it has been since the days of Jesus?
00:25:54
Speaker
You know what? Jesus valued women. The Bible values women. But it was coming into a society where women were not valued. And so what's amazing to me is Jesus chose to make his first appearance to a woman.
00:26:11
Speaker
Mary Magdalene. And I think for every woman in here, you should say, that really means a lot to me that Jesus chose to appear for the very first time to a lady, to Mary Magdalene.
00:26:24
Speaker
But here's the thing. If you were going to convince everybody back then of the validity of your story, would you have picked a woman to be the first one that you appeared to?
00:26:35
Speaker
Probably not back then. But why would all of these Jewish believers, this is the last thing I'd say about, let's say, evidence proved. Why would all of those Jewish believers who now trust Christ suddenly begin to change their day of worship from Saturday, which was their Sabbath, to Sunday?
00:26:58
Speaker
Because Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week. So what I'm trying to say to you this morning, just as humbly, but as transparently, as accurately as
Invitation to Faith
00:27:11
Speaker
I can. Because there's a lot of evidence.
00:27:14
Speaker
Lord willing, next Sunday, we'll look at even more evidence that I think is is included here. But I wanted to conclude by just saying, what about you? You know, have you trusted Jesus Christ?
00:27:25
Speaker
I'm wondering, how much how much more evidence do you need? is Is there a certain amount like Because I'm just trying to be honest and real. I'm trying to tell you what I've learned through research and so forth.
00:27:41
Speaker
But I hope that you will one day, if you can't today, one day soon, put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. I like what Ephesians 1.8 says.
00:27:51
Speaker
And I'm going to extend a gospel invitation with this. Ephesians 1.8 says, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may...
00:28:02
Speaker
Know what is the hope to which he's called you. What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints? You see, the grave was not the end.
00:28:16
Speaker
And maybe somebody here is struggling with a recent diagnosis. Maybe you've lost somebody that you really loved so much. I'm just trying to tell you, it doesn't have to be over.
00:28:28
Speaker
If we trust Jesus Christ, what he did, he conquered the grave. I can't conquer the grave. We can't live a good enough life to accept for God to accept our righteousness.
00:28:42
Speaker
So what we have to do is to say, Jesus, you did it for me. You did the heavy lifting for me. So I want us to stand together. I'm going to ask our musicians to give us a song.
00:28:53
Speaker
And this song simply says what it's all about. Remember when I was saying at the Lord's Supper, it's all about fellowship with the Lord. It's all about knowing him. do you know the God that made you?
00:29:05
Speaker
Everybody in this place, you're so loved. Even the the live stream, those who are watching at home, those who are watching in overflow, i want you to know that God loves you and he made you.
00:29:17
Speaker
He made you exactly the way you are. But what's more incredible is he came and died on a cross to pay the price, the penalty for the sins that me and you that we together had committed.
00:29:32
Speaker
Don't you want to trust him as your Lord and Savior? That's what this invitation is about, to come and know him. Let's pray, and then we'll sing this song. Lord, I thank you so much.
00:29:43
Speaker
You reached across the table of the universe, the table of time, and you said, I love you. I want to take you by the hand. I want to be there to comfort you.
00:29:56
Speaker
I want to guide you. I want to bless you. I want to provide for you. I want to forgive you. I want to give you a new start in life. And so, Lord, if there's anybody in this room, they heard enough evidence today to say, i want to trust Jesus Christ.
00:30:12
Speaker
I believe that he really exists. And I believe that he did come and die on that cross for me. Then please, Lord, let us begin that conversation today. It would be my joy.
00:30:22
Speaker
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
00:30:30
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.