Oh, yes He is (Pt. 2)

(Part 2) 

“When I was in Jerusalem, the leading priests and Jewish elders pressed charges against him and asked me to condemn him. I pointed out to them that Roman law does not convict people without a trial. They must be given an opportunity to confront their accusers and defend themselves. “When his accusers came here for the trial, I didn’t delay. I called the case the very next day and ordered Paul brought in.  But the accusations made against him weren’t any of the crimes I expected. Instead, it was something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insists is alive. I was at a loss to know how to investigate these things, so I asked him whether he would be willing to stand trial on these charges in Jerusalem.”-Acts 25:15-20

King Festus became aware of Jesus’ existence, not from Paul’s testimony, but from the testimony of his accusers, who came to have Paul punished. They made the case that Jesus existed, but they communicated to the court that he was crucified and died. They didn’t deny His life or existence, they denied His deity and His resurrection. 

The problem is, you might convince Festus that Jesus is dead, but it is impossible to convince someone who has had an encounter with the risen Savior of it! Paul was convinced! Funny thing, people have no problems with you insisting Jesus died. Why? Because a dead Jesus can’t see you, a dead Jesus can’t hear you, a dead Jesus can’t correct you, and a dead Jesus can’t judge you. However, a living Savior? 

I think there are a lot of Christians who serve a dead Jesus. They worship the One that died on the cross for their sins, but they don’t serve a risen Savior. People who serve a dead Jesus can appreciate His teachings, find value in and adopt His moral positions, even enjoy gathering with others believers to fellowship. However, watching their lives you’d be hard pressed to believe that they serve a living, risen Savior by the things they say, the things they do, and the way they think. 

Notwithstanding, It is impossible to be saved and not believe that He is alive:

“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.”-Romans 10:9

It is not enough to believe that the tomb is empty, but we must believe Jesus is alive. That is what the angel at the tomb told the women who came there looking for Jesus, “Why do you look for the living, among the dead? He’s not here. He’s alive.”

Paul would go on to preach that message the rest of his life:

“But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.”-1 Corinthians 15:12-14

Festus and King Agrippa agreed that Paul could have been set free if he had just kept his mouth shut. If he had just stopped antagonizing the religious folks and quit insisting that Jesus was alive. Paul had an encounter with Jesus that convinced him that Jesus was very much a live. Perhaps we need to learn this lesson from Paul and stop serving a dead Jesus and place our faith in a risen Savior. 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church