Easter Sunday Sermon Notes - Pastor Johnny Scott

The Road To Jerusalem

Intro: Story Mode
(On stool — no text, narrative delivery)
-They hadn’t seen each other for a few days
-The last time they saw John — he was running away from the garden
-Naked
-Ran so fast his cloak fell off

They gathered again on the north side of the city
In the same room they used for the Passover meal

-Not everyone was there


Sunday Morning
Mary (Magdala and Jesus’ mother) went to prepare the body
-They had to finish quickly because of Passover rules

The body had been hastily prepared by:
-Joseph of Arimathea
-Nicodemus (John 19:38–41)

It’s strange:
Nicodemus helped bury Jesus…
after being in the room when they decided to kill Him

(article on stones that roll)


The Tomb
Two men:
“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
This was a mild rebuke:
You should have expected this

-The passion
-The cross
-The resurrection

Because Jesus had already said:

“The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners,
be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.”

Then:
They remembered His words


The Women
-Mary leaves early to tell the apostles
-The other women encounter:
Angels
Then Jesus Himself


The Disciples’ Response
“They did not believe the women…”
→ It sounded like nonsense

Peter runs to the tomb

-John runs faster (younger)
-Beats Peter
-Brags about it in his book

He sees the linen
Walks away wondering what happened


Mary Alone
Mary returns to the tomb alone

-Sees Jesus
-Doesn’t recognize Him
-Thinks He’s the gardener

Until…

Jesus says her name


Emmaus Road
That same day:
Two disciples walking to Emmaus (7 miles from Jerusalem)

Jesus walks with them
-They don’t recognize Him


Back to the Room
They return
-Find out Jesus appeared to Peter
-Not recorded anywhere
-Peter never talks about it


Resurrection Sunday Appearances
On this one day, Jesus appeared to:
-Women at the tomb
-Mary Magdalene
-Peter (unrecorded)
-Emmaus disciples
-Ten disciples


The Point
Not “inspirational Easter”
But:
This either happened… or it didn’t

Put the resurrection on trial
Examine the claim
Force a decision


Not My Opinion
1 Corinthians 15:14
“If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

If Jesus didn’t rise:
→ This is meaningless

If He did:
→ It changes everything


THE CLAIM
Be clear:
Christianity is not built on teachings
It is built on an event

Not:
-Love your neighbor
-Be a good person

But:

A dead man got up and walked out of a grave

We’re not dealing with one polished story
We’re dealing with:
-Multiple independent accounts

Josh McDowell:
The resurrection is either:
-The greatest miracle in history
-Or the greatest hoax

This is not a story to admire
It is a claim to examine
Not a legend over time
An event people claimed to witness


All Recorded on Resurrection Sunday
Women at the tomb
-Mary Magdalene
-Peter
-Emmaus disciples
-Ten disciples


But Someone Missed It
Someone wasn’t there
20 years later, John tells us
A man missed it all

For a week:
-His friends believed
-He did not


Thomas
Jesus didn’t shame Thomas for doubting
He met him in it


John 20:24–29
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
25 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.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them.
Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
27 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.”
28 Thomas said to him,
“My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him,
“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”


Jesus Meets Doubt
Jesus didn’t shame Thomas for doubting…
He met him in it
-Not lack of information
-Lack of personal experience

Some of us:
-We know the claim
-We haven’t made a hard decision to follow

We may trust Him with eternity…
but not our daily lives

An examination of the foundation of our faith
helps us take that leap


THE CLAIM
-Not metaphor
-Not spiritual resurrection

A dead man physically rose
Say it plainly


The Evidence
-Multiple witnesses
-Individuals
-Groups
-Different locations
-Physical interaction
Touch
Eating
Wounds
-Public claims
-500 witnesses
-Known people (Peter, James)

This isn’t one person having a vision
This is hundreds of people reporting the same event


Supporting Evidence
-Eyewitness testimony
-Early documentation
-Transformation of the disciples

If you applied the same standards of evidence
to the resurrection as any historical event

→ You would be compelled to take it seriously


The Transformation
Before:
-Hiding
-Fear
-Locked doors

After:
-Preaching publicly
-Facing execution
-Refusing to recant

Something happened in that room…
that turned cowards into witnesses


Example
Chicago Tribune journalist set out to disprove Christianity
-Interviewed historians
-Doctors
-Scholars

Came to a conclusion he didn’t expect:
The evidence doesn’t collapse under scrutiny — it holds up


The Verdict
The evidence for the resurrection is so strong
that it forces a verdict

Thomas heard all of this…
and still said no

Jesus:
-Doesn’t avoid him
-Doesn’t shame him
-Doesn’t dismiss him

He steps into the doubt

Jesus doesn’t just meet faith…
He meets doubt


The Verdict 
The question is not whether there is evidence
The question is:
What will you do with it?

Thomas → saw and believed
Disciples → saw and died for it
You → heard the testimony

Thomas said:
“I need to see it.”

Strobel said:
“I need to investigate it.”

Both were met with evidence


KEYS
You’ve been given the testimony
The evidence is in front of you
Now the decision is yours


Faith Clarified
The idea of “faith” has been misunderstood

-Our belief is based on evidence
-Our faith is obedience in response

Belief = logical conclusion
Faith = lived response

In our culture:
-Many believe
-But don’t practice growing faith (obedience)

James calls that:
dead faith


John 20:30–31
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

“I wrote this so you could examine the evidence.”

John knew:
You wouldn’t be in that room


Final
This is not just a resurrection sermon

This is a decision sermon
-Not manipulation
-Not hype
But evidence demands invitation