Alpha 1

Course is about exploring the big questions of life
For me, brought up to go to church, and to be honest had some big questions
But church was just part of my background, it was my culture
I did pray, and sometimes I saw some big answers to pray
So, I did believe a bit, but my life was my own, and for the most part the questions were left on the shelf until someone brought them to me:
Have you given your life to Jesus?
I went to church
Prayed
Right culture, background, but not my life
I realised no,
I'd not, and if God was reall at all, He should be my life, not just part of my background,
Like the box you tick on the forms
male
white
married
English
Christian
"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important."
And I realised that all those questions that I'd left on the shelf were actually quite important
I read a book by Josh McDowell
Law student
Set out to disprove Christianity
point out its inacuracies
Scientific not appropriate obviously
But historical, legal is
Found to his surprise, the accounts matched
Frank Morrison: inconsistencies
4 accounts of Jesus' death and resurrection
They were consistent
So what I want us to look at tonight is the evidence for Jesus

1. Did He exist?
difficult to argue He didn't exist
Roman tacitus direct
Suetonious indirect
Josephus said this
Jesus a wise man if its lawful to call him a man for he was a doer of wonederful works a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure he drew over to him both many of the jews and the gentiles...crucifiction and resurrection
Most evidence from the nt
How know that was what they wrote?
How know not altered over the years?
The science of textual criticism (no photocopies...most copies most the same, most accurate)
table
fja hort in the variety and fullness of the evidenc on which it rests the text of the NT stands abs and unapp alone among abcient prose writing
Can be confident its what they wrote
No sec hist dispute that


Who was He?
Body
Human emotions
love sadness joy, family, exp, edus, job, ber, suff, death
so fully human
yep course, great teacher
but no more than that
not tson of God

eg Davinci Code; powerful man
Bono: I believ that J is the sog i do bel that odd as it sounds
Whats the evisence
Matthew 16:13
¹³When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
 ¹⁴They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
 ¹⁵"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
 ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,^[g] the Son of the living God."

Possible to be with someone long time not know who they are#
what the evidence
Who did Jesus think was?
Is that accurate?
Teaching Centered on Himself
Great rel teacher points away from self eg mother Theresa
"Don't look at me, look at God"
But J in pointing to God, pointed to Himslf
Before I gave my life to Jesus, hunger inside, restlessness, tried to fill it with films, drugs
Spiritual hunger
Freus love
Jung security
Adler significance
Jesus: "I am the bread of life" thats my exp
Addictions
Jesus said"if the son sets you fre if Iset you free, free indeed"
Lot of people dis depree
I am the light of the world who ever folloews me will have the light of life
Sunsets Jenny
Russell Brand
Laughter is addictive becos of the inev of death gives a temp esc for the mo its tops fear of the inev of death
death is not spoken of in death
neg pat care outcome
I am the res and death
MT really looking forward to it
direction...way
values
truth
long highway towrds nothingness
found it in Jesus
Others say this is the way
jesus said I am the way, I am the truth I am the life
If you've seen me, you've seen God
childs drawing
1st piece of evidence teaching centred round self,

Indirect claims "your sins are forgiven" Who can forgive sins but god alone
Direct claims

John 20
After res
Thomas was a cynic
10 mfriends said J he saus I don't bel
Unless I put my hands in the wounds
v27..²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
 ²⁸Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"  ²⁹Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Response?
³⁰I and the Father are one."  ³¹Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, ³²but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"
 ³³"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."
 A man who believed he was God


Was he right?
3 pos

1. Not ttrue, and J knew: he was a fraud
2. Not true, deluded
3. It was true

 I man who was merely a man and said the sort of things j said wouldnt be a great moral teacher, hed either b isane or else the devil of hell you must make your choice, either this man was and is the son of God
either he was the son of mGod or mad or or else insane or something worse but don't let us come up wih any pat nonsense about him being a great moral teacher he hasn't left that open to us, he did't intend to

lov3e neighbour, do good to those who hate you
John Mortimer, atheist s for Christ
saw fruit of rejecting Chritianity
Gospels provide a system of ethics to which we must return if we are to avoid social disaster
Laws founded on teaching of Jesus
Kind of words expect God to speak
Life?
Imagine hospital? picnic? funral?
Not just miracles, but love
Mark of the true church is love for lowest least last lost
compassion for those strugling with addictions and life
Character
When tortured... father forgive
Fulfillment of prophecy books written about him befroe born
3000, 29 single day
deliberate?
where born, die
place of burial
fraud deluded?
teaching life? sanest person ever lived
even enemies said know
Lynchpin is the resurrection

Evidence? Huge implications for your and my life?
one day die? is that end?
But what if Jesus was raised ? not nec end. that sis the claim of the NT
So matters.
Proof that what he did on the cross worked (forgiveness new life poweer to change) next time


Empty tob.

We know where rthe tombwas. Well known. J' sbody not there...
Didn't die? well they did
went to break legs

Sep of clot and serum
Stol body..guarded, psch improb...died for a lie?
Authroities took it?
Saddams sons
Grave clothes

Apearnace to the disc..halluc

11 occasions once to 500 plus
nature of the appearances: hallucinations are subjective, no objective reality
Luke 24.36
 ³⁶While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
 ³⁷They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
 ⁴⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. ⁴¹And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³and he took it and ate it in their presence.

Impact of the res, transf whole known world
birth and explosion of chr chrch no precedent
grop of uned fisherman and tax gatheres
sprerad liek a peaceful rev no parallel
chris exp throughout the ages
2000M people troday prfess chris every nat eco socio cultural back
risen JC shared in common

Sherlocj elimin impossibl;e whatever remains however improb must be the truth

to me evidence j lying not pos
delude? opposite
teaching lifestly ch fulfil prophecy res
logical conc that true...
fright alt either the man were talki about mad bad son of God
CS Lewis

 have to admit He was and is God

Evidence does point towards it being true
For me knowing the truth was a big start, but I thenhad adecision to make, would I say yes to this Jesus, this God
And as is probably obvious, I did, and now for me its not just about the facts and the evidence the proof that Jesus is real,
Its the discovery that actually I could have a relationship with this God, that he speaks, he loves he answers prayer







So we're going to begin where they began today and look a little bit at the life of Jesus