Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash podcast and click the donate button, or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. I'm Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.
On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. Someone once wisely stated that Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Disprove it, and you've disposed of Christianity forever.
So, why hang our hats on the empty tomb as the foundation of our faith? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress identifies the life-changing components of the very first Christian faith. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress? Thanks, David. Three months from now, hundreds of our friends of Pathway to Victory will venture into the majestic waters along the Pacific coastline on the Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska. And it's still not too late to reserve your spot.
The dates are June 15th through 22nd. As one of our passengers, you'll depart from the stunning harbor of Vancouver, British Columbia, and cruise north along the coastline to the great frontier. The majestic views in Alaska are absolutely breathtaking. You'll have ample opportunities to explore, and you'll have plenty of time to rest and relax as well. To find out more, and most importantly, to reserve your spot, go to ptv.org. Just last year, Pathway to Victory was to host another trip of a lifetime. In 2023, we traveled with about 500 people to the Holy Land. Over 10 days, we traced the footsteps of Jesus, and we paused at the major historic sites and reflected on his ministry. Following our tour to Israel, I was inspired to create an exclusive coffee table book for you. It's filled with my favorite images of Israel, along with personal insights I've written for you. It's like walking side by side together through Jerusalem as I guide you on a journey of the last seven days of Jesus leading up to Easter Sunday morning. My new book is called The Power of the Cross, and when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'll make sure a copy is sent to your home. Now, we'll say more about the book later in today's program, but right now, it's time to begin today's study.
I titled today's message, Three Reasons the Resurrection Matters. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Israel, as we did, one of the things that you will be thrilled by is hearing and seeing the evidence, the archeological evidence for many of the events recorded in the Bible. For example, from the Old Testament, you'll walk as we did into the city of Dan and hear about Haran, another Old Testament city. You'll see the evidence for the existence of the Philistines mentioned in the Old Testament, the existence of King David and his dynasty.
You say, what's the big deal about that? Well, the fact is, none of those facts recorded in the Bible had any historical confirmation until fairly recently. Critics of the Bible used to scoff at the idea that the Bible was historically reliable until this evidence turned up.
They're not scoffing any longer. The same is true with the New Testament. In 1968, a decomposed body was found outside of Jerusalem that dated back to the time of Christ. An examination of the body revealed that it was a man who had been crucified, and the wounds coincided with those described in the Bible as victims of crucifixion.
In 1961, in Caesarea by the Sea, we saw the replica of the stone. It's called the Pilate Stone. It records for the first time the existence of Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, just like the Bible said. And not only that, in 1990, the tomb of the high priest Caiaphas who presided over Jesus' first trial was discovered, showing that he was a historical character. There is much archaeological confirmation for many of the events in the Bible. However, there is one event in the New Testament that archaeology will never be able to prove. A historian said it this way, Archaeology may give us a better understanding of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus Christ, but it can say nothing of his resurrection. Why can't archaeology prove the resurrection?
Very simple. There's nothing to be discovered. The tomb is empty.
Aren't you glad of that? There's nothing to be found. And that empty tomb of Jesus Christ that is still empty after 2,000 years is the foundation of our faith. That's what we're going to talk about for the few moments we have this morning. If you have your Bibles, turn to Matthew chapter 28 and let's review what happened on that first Easter Sunday morning. Remember, this is Sunday after the crucifixion on Friday. Matthew records, Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had already occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.
And his appearance was like lightning and his garment as white as snow, and the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for he has risen just as he said. Come see the place where he was lying and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. And behold, he is going before you into Galilee.
There you will see him. Behold, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to his disciples. Now I want you to consider for a moment what had happened in the last three days. For three years, Jesus' disciples had given up everything to follow after him, believing that he was truly the Messiah. But on that Friday afternoon, when Jesus said it is finished and died and was buried, their dreams disappeared, their hopes dissipated. All was lost.
Everything was for naught. But then on that Easter Sunday morning, two of the women went back to the tomb of Jesus. Why did they go back? They were going there to finish preparing his body for burial to prevent the rapid decomposition of the body. But when they arrived at the tomb, they were shocked to see that massive stone rolled away and an angel sitting on top of that stone saying, he is not here. He has risen from the dead just as he said.
And I believe when the women heard that phrase, just as he said, a light went off in their minds. Yes, they remembered what he had prophesied. He would rise again. He has risen from the dead just as he said. But then I think they begin to think about all the other things Jesus had said as well. And it was very clear to them, if what Jesus said about his resurrection is true, then every other thing Jesus has said is true as well. You see, ladies and gentlemen, the resurrection was not some isolated event disconnected to anything else in Jesus' life. The resurrection was the culminating proof that Jesus was who he said he was.
And if he is who he said he was, it has tremendous ramifications for you and for me. Today, I want to talk about three reasons the resurrection matters. What is it that the empty tomb proves?
Write it down. First of all, the empty tomb is proof that Jesus Christ died for our sins just as he said. He died for our sins just as he said. In Matthew 16, 21, Matthew says from that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed. And he must be raised up on the third day. Jesus said, my death isn't going to be some accident.
It's not some tragedy. That's the whole reason I have come to die. In Matthew 20, 28, he clarified that by saying, just as the Son of Man, talking about himself, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Now, why is it Jesus Christ had to die and give his life as a ransom for you and me? The reason is found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 59, verses one and two. Isaiah said, behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save, neither is his ear so dull that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. The reason we need somebody to pay for our sin is there is a barrier, a wall that separates you and me from God. It is a wall that has been built by our sins. Our sins have become a dividing wall between God and us. We are separated from God in this life. You know, you may hear every now and then somebody say, well, I'm not a Christian, but I feel very close to God.
I talk to him and he talks to me. That closeness they feel is a figment of their imagination. They have no relationship with God. The Bible says there is a wall of separation between all of us and God. It is a wall that has been built by our sins. And every time we sin, that wall just gets higher and higher and higher. And that separation between God and us is present in this life. But if we die in our sins without being forgiven, that separation continues throughout all eternity.
That is what hell is. It is our eternal separation from God. Now the question is, how can that wall ever be torn down? How can we remove that wall of separation between God and us?
You know, people have all kind of novel ideas about how they can remove that wall, how they can atone for their sins. I was reading recently about a minister who found himself seated on an airplane next to a beautiful young woman. He decided very quickly he better turn the discussion to something spiritual. So he said to the young woman, do you think you're going to heaven when you die? And the young lady said, well, I think so. He said, well, why do you think you're going to heaven when you die?
She thought for a moment. She said, well, I exercise. And I try to live by the golden rule.
Oh, yeah, I had my boyfriend have an AIDS test before we started dating. I mean, here is a young woman who thought that safe sex and exercise were going to get her into heaven. She said, well, that is so ludicrous. You know, we all have ludicrous ideas, just like that young lady, of what we think is going to tear down that massive wall of separation between God and us. Some people think that they get in that little tank over there, that baptistry, that there's something magical in that water that's going to wash away their sins. Look, that's an important ordinance, what we just saw.
But that's a sign of what's happened to us. It's not a means of salvation. Other people think, well, joining the church.
That's what's going to tear down the wall. Other people think, well, as long as I live a pretty good life and I'm at least a little more moral than Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden or Charles Manson, you know, maybe God will let me into heaven. But the Bible says there is nothing we can do to remove that barrier between God and us. You know, the Old Testament Jews, they had an understanding, perhaps better than you and I do, of the real wall of separation that existed between them and God, because that wall of separation was illustrated every time they went into the temple.
Remember, in the temple structure, it was crafted in such a way to remind people of their separation from God. You could only go so far toward the Holy of Holies where God dwelt in the temple based on your status. For example, there is an area for non-Jews. It was called the Court of the Gentiles, but the Gentiles had to stop there. Jewish women could move a little closer to the Holy of Holies, but they were stopped at a certain point.
Jewish men could go a little bit further, but then they were stopped. The priests were welcomed into the holy place. It was a place for priests only. But between the holy place and the most holy place, the Holy of Holies, there was a huge veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. And you remember in that Holy of Holies, there was the Ark of the Covenant. And on top of the Ark was the mercy seat, a golden lid. And there were two cherubs, the cherubim, the replica of angels.
And it was thought that God dwelt between the cherubim. And when God looked down, he looked down on the Ark and saw the law of Moses that was in that Ark that was continually being broken by the people. The Ark was a reminder of God's judgment.
But once a year, one priest, the high priest, was allowed to go in to the Holy of Holies. After he had made a sacrifice for his own sins, he would take the blood of an innocent animal and he would sprinkle it on that lid of the Ark, the mercy seat. And the picture was when God looked down, he no longer saw the law that had been broken by his people, but the blood of that innocent lamb covered the sins of the people. Now, only one person could make that sacrifice, the high priest. But to do so, he had to, first of all, atone for his own sins. And not only that, he had to go in year after year after year with the blood of animals. But all of that was a picture of what our high priest, Jesus Christ, would do on the cross for us.
Hebrews 9, verses 11 and 12, tells us this. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, he entered through a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, he entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Jesus Christ never had to atone for his own sins. He had no sins. He went into not a man-made temple, but into the true presence of God. And he came not with the blood of animals, but with his own blood. And he made the sacrifice once forever, having obtained eternal forgiveness for you and me.
Isn't that great? That is what our Savior has done for us. Now, get this, what happened the moment Christ died on the cross?
We find this word in Matthew 27, 51. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split. Just imagine, you were some of those priests who happened to be on duty that good Friday afternoon. And you're in the holy place, making your sacrifices. You're looking up at that veil that separates you from the most holy place, the holy of holies. And suddenly, the earth begins to tremble, and you look up and you see that temple curtain torn, a rip beginning at the top, all the way down to the bottom, until it was completely fallen and pulled away. Those priests immediately realized they were out of a job. There was no more sacrifice to be made. Everyone had the opportunity to come before the presence of God. That's what that torn in two curtain represents.
But now, get this, this is so important to understand. Just because that curtain, that wall of separation has been removed, doesn't mean anybody can come into God's presence. God hasn't changed. God is still holy.
The Bible says his eyes are too pure to look upon evil. None of us is qualified to come into God's presence. We need somebody's authority to come into the presence of God. We don't need a human priest. We don't need a human pastor. We need Jesus Christ. He is our perfect priest. And on his authority, on the basis of the sacrifice he made for us, we can have access to the king, God the Father. Ephesians 2 18 says it this way, For through Jesus we both have our access in one spirit to the Father.
That word access is a word that refers to, in Greek, a court official who introduces people to the king. A number of decades ago, when I was youth pastor here at the church, we took our youth choir to Washington, D.C. for the mission trip. While we were there, I really wanted to go to the White House. And more than that, I really wanted to go into the Oval Office. Now, President Reagan was the president at that time. I didn't know President Reagan. I knew nobody on his staff, but I knew I was going to get myself into that Oval Office. Now, just imagine, I had walked up to the White House gate and I had said, I'm Robert Jeffress and I would like to go into the Oval Office. What do you think the guard would have said?
Or were you and everybody else? Now get out of here, kid. Oh, but you don't understand, mister. I believe in the existence of Ronald Reagan. Surely that grants me authority.
The guard would have laughed. Do you believe in his existence? So do 300 million other people. I said, well, no, I just don't believe in his existence. I really love him. I think he's a great president. I'm one of his biggest supporters. Would that have gained me entrance?
No, no. To get into the Oval Office, I had to know somebody. I had to have the authority to get into that office. Fortunately, we had a friend of a friend who was a Secret Service agent. And he had all the credentials necessary to get into the Oval Office. So we met him at the guard station at midnight one night.
The guard got on the walkie-talkie, and once he was sure President Reagan was upstairs and asleep, he said, now follow me into the Oval Office. I got into the Oval Office not based on any authority I had, but knowing somebody who had the authority. Now, it's the same way in our entrance into the presence of God. Not one of us is qualified to go to God on our own. We have to know somebody, and that somebody is Jesus Christ. Through him, we have access to the Father because of the sacrifice he made for us. When he said, it is finished, as Leo said, paid in full.
All of our debt has been canceled. We are welcomed into his presence. You say, well, how do you know God accepted his payment for my sin? That's what the Resurrection proves.
Romans 1, 4 said that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power by his resurrection from the dead. If Jesus had remained in that tomb, you know what it would have meant? He didn't die for our sins. He died for his own sins. But the fact that God raised him up proved that his gift was acceptable in the presence of God. The empty tomb, first of all, proves that Jesus died for our sins. Secondly, the empty tomb proves that Christ has conquered death.
The empty tomb proves that Christ has conquered death. Perhaps you're familiar with the name Harry Houdini. Do you remember Harry Houdini, the great magician and escape artist from the first part of the 20th century? He had all kind of escape tricks. At one point, they put him in a straitjacket and dropped him into an icy river, and he was able to break free of the straitjacket. But Harry Houdini decided that he was going to save his last trick for last.
He would escape the power of death. He arranged with his wife, Margaret, they had an agreement that whoever died first would attempt to contact the surviving spouse. Harry Houdini died on October 31, very fitting, 1926. His wife, Margaret, waited to hear from her deceased husband. She waited, she waited, she waited.
She died in 1943 without ever hearing a word, and she died disappointed and disillusioned. Not even Harry Houdini could escape the grip of death, which makes the prophecy of Jesus all that much more amazing. Remember what he said in John 2? The Jews, therefore, answered and said to him, What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things? And Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews, therefore, said, It took 46 years to build this temple, and you're going to raise it up in three days? But Jesus was speaking of the temple of his body.
When, therefore, he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. Jesus promised his disciples that he would conquer the grave, and to their amazement, he did, just as he said he would. Well, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is no less amazing today than it was centuries ago. His death, burial, and miracle of the resurrection on Easter morning empowers you and me to live with hope and joy. You know, in today's world, we're easily distracted by the political noise that's generated by the election coming up in November.
We're heartbroken by the human tragedies in Ukraine and the Middle East. But gratefully, the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ grounds us. The power of the cross gives us hope.
Along those lines, I've prepared an exclusive coffee table book that your family will enjoy for years to come. It's called The Power of the Cross. This book includes my favorite photographs and images from Israel. Each one tells an important story about the final seven days in the life of Christ, from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to his resurrection on Easter morning. And with every image, I've offered personal reflections and biblical insights on why these moments give us hope and strength.
I'll look forward to hearing from you today. Just make the simple request that you want to receive my new book, The Power of the Cross. A copy is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.
David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. When you support the ministry of Pathway to Victory by giving a generous gift, you're invited to request The Power of the Cross, a beautifully illustrated coffee table style book that you can display in your home for years to come. When you respond today, we'll also include a helpful new brochure called Three Days That Changed the World. To request your copy of these resources, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. Now, when your gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you a brand new CD and DVD teaching set called Live from Israel, Eight Powerful Messages by Dr. Jeffress from the Holy Land.
Join Dr. Jeffress as he describes the biblical events that took place at each featured location. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. Now, if you'd like to get in touch by mail, here's the address, P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.
That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Wishing you a great weekend, then join us again Monday when our series The Power of the Cross continues. That's right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org slash podcast and click on the donate button or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
