Sermon Outlines: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The resurrection of Jesus Christ 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."