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CHAPTER ELEVEN DID JESUS RISE FROM THE DEAD? The resurrection of Christ is mentioned 40 times in the New Testament. Obviously its writers intended for us to believe it.
The testimony of MARY MAGDALENE: John 20:11-18 “Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don't know where they have put him.’ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. ‘Woman,’ he said, ‘why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (Which means teacher). …Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’”
The testimony of THOMAS: Pessimistic: John 11:14-16 “…so then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’” Uncertain: John 14:5 “We don’t know where you’re going or the way.” Skeptical: John 20:24-25 “Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.’” Convinced: John 20: 26-28 “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then 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.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” NOTICE THE PROGRESS OF BELIEF: After meeting Jesus, Andrew testified, “We have found the Messiah.” Philip testified, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote.” Nathanael testified, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” In John 2 we read, “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” In John 6 Peter said, “You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” After being with Jesus for three and one half years the disciples said, “Now we know that you know all things and don’t need any one…by this we believe that you came from God,” John 16:30. I thought the disciples believed at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. These statements show that the disciple’s faith was growing. By the end of Jesus’ ministry they really believed! The same progression of faith can be seen of many other people in the book of John. STUDY GUIDE CHAPTER ELEVEN 1. How many references to the resurrection occur in the New Testament? 2. In your mind are you convinced that Jesus died on the cross? 3. In your mind, are you convinced that he came alive again? 4. What made Mary Magdalene recognize Jesus? 5. What did Mary Magdalene testify of Jesus? 6. What shows that Thomas was Pessimistic? 7. What shows that Thomas was uncertain? 8. What shows that Thomas was skeptical? 9. What shows that Thomas was convinced? 10. What did Jesus offer Thomas to help him make his decision? 11. What illustrates the progression of belief of the disciples? 12. Tell about major events in your life where your faith grew.
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You Can Positively know Jesus is God  TestimonyOfPagans, Jews,Christians
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