主果然复活

一位深信主复活的学者说过：“基督教之存亡完全决定于耶稣之复活与否。”也就是说基督若没有复活就不可能有基督教的存在。路24:13-35记载：当时主的两个门徒看到主耶稣被钉死且埋葬后，心灰意冷地往以马忤斯去，但当复活的主与他们同行，在他们屋里向他们显现后，这两个门徒欣喜若狂，马上回耶路撒冷去传扬激动人心的大喜信息――主果然复活。门徒的复兴、福音的广传、教会的建立就是因为主耶稣果然复活了。

一、门徒的复兴

主耶稣曾拣选12个门徒来传福音，但他们只注重属世的前途，根本不管天国的事业，永恒的生命。主耶稣被害后，他们又回去重操旧业。后来他们能冒死传福音，唯一的解释就是耶稣复活并多次向门徒显现。正如史托德牧师所说：“也许耶稣之门徒的改变，是耶稣复活最有力的见证。”

1．彼得 彼得曾三次不认主，耶稣受害后他绝望地回家打鱼。复活的主在海边向他显现才使他刚强起来，并有了“磐石”般的信心去传扬福音。他面对迫害高声疾呼:“顺从神，不顺从人，是应当的。……”（参徒5:29-32）。传说彼得最后为主倒钉十字架。

2．多马 多马是个多疑的人，当其他门徒告诉他主耶稣已复活时，他就是不信，并表明除非亲眼看见复活的主，摸他的伤痕，否则总是不信。八天后，主再一次显现给多马及门徒看，多马喊道：“我的主，我的神！”（参约20:24-28）从此，他迈上了传福音的征途，后来在印度为主殉道。

3．主的兄弟雅各 耶稣30岁开始离家布道，雅各极为不满，认为他就象疯子一样，连他被钉死也不在乎。到了耶稣复活向他显现时(参林前15:7)，他才恍然大悟，并作了主的仆人（参雅1:1）。

二、福音的广传

主耶稣复活后，多次向门徒显现，使门徒们信心得到刚强。最后主耶稣交给门徒一个神圣的使命：往普天下去，传福音给万民听。从此门徒们从耶路撒冷迈开传福音的步伐。起初门徒传福音的重要信息就是主耶稣复活。正如保罗所说：“若基督没有复活，我们所传的便是枉然，你们所信的也是枉然”(林前15:14)。《铁证待判》一书的作者麦道卫说：“世间除四种宗教外，其他的宗教都是建立在哲学的推理之上，而这四种宗教则是建立在宗教领袖身上，而不是在哲学体系之上的。但在这四者当中，只有基督教宣称其创始人之坟墓是空的（即主耶稣复活了）。犹太教之父亚伯拉罕在公元前1900年就死了，而今世间尚未有关于他复活的传说。”我们再看道教、佛教、伊斯兰教都没有教主复活之事。伊斯兰教徒每年有千万人到麦迦朝圣，看的就是教主穆罕默德雄伟的大坟墓。佛教徒更是把教主释迦牟尼的骨灰“舍利”作为顶礼膜拜的最重要的对象。然而，只要发现一小块耶稣的骨头，基督教就会立即瓦解。主的复活不但使门徒复兴起来，连原来迫害教会的保罗，也因在去大马色的路上遇见复活的主而悔改，并且冒死将福音传到外邦，引领千千万万的人归主。近2000年来，主复活的信息藉历世历代主的仆人传到地极，现在全世界已有二十亿人信靠这位复活的主。

三、教会的建立

教会原文的意思是指所有蒙主选召的人。耶稣在世的时候，虽然拣选了十二个门徒，还有数以万计的人跟随他，但他在受难前就预言:牧人被击打，羊群就分散(参太26:31)。主耶稣被害后，门徒果然一哄而散。到了主复活后，这些门徒才又聚集在一起，使徒行传1:15记载：当时约有120人聚会，从此教会不断兴旺，只要有人的地方就有教会被建立。虽然教会常在受迫害中被建立，但没有任何一种宗教能象基督教一样迅速地发展壮大。究其原因，正是主耶稣的复活。牛津来朋大学校长梅捷说过：“如果耶稣的门徒对耶稣的认识只到他钉上十字架为止，那么教会永远不可能被建立，教会的根基应建立在人们对弥赛亚的信仰之上。若此弥赛亚是死的，那他实非弥赛亚，不过是为犹太教所拒绝，为神所咒诅的一个人而已。主耶稣的复活正显明他是神的儿子。”

感谢主，主果然复活，我们每一个基督徒应该豪情满怀，信心十足地来信靠这位复活的主，为主作美好的见证。阿们！

The Lord Did Resurrect

By Rev. Chen Lifu

Bible verse reading: Luke 24: 28-33

A scholar who firmly believes the resurrection of the Lord said: "The resurrection of Jesus is decisive to Christianity." That is, if Christ Jesus had not resurrected, Christianity would have been impossible. According to Luke 24: 13-35, two of the disciples were dispirited on their way to Emmaus after they witnessed Jesus' crucifixion and burial. But when the resurrected Lord went with them, and appeared to them in the room, they were overjoyed and returned to Jerusalem to proclaim the exciting good news-the Lord has been raised from the dead indeed. It is because the Lord Jesus did resurrect that the disciples revived, the good news spread far and wide, and the churches established throughout the world.

I. The disciples revived

The Lord Jesus has selected 12 disciples to proclaim the good news, however, their faith were weakened by the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, and retook their trade in the world after the Lord Jesus' death. Why they later went out to proclaim the good news at the risk of their lives could only be explained by the fact that Jesus has resurrected and appeared to them for several times. Just as Rev. Stott said: "Maybe the change of the disciples of Jesus is the most convincing testimony of the resurrection of Jesus."

1. Peter

Peter has denied Jesus three times, and after Jesus' crucifixion he lost his heart and went home to take up fishing. But the appearance of Jesus after he was raised from the dead braced him up. Thus he started to proclaim the good news with a faith as firm as rock. Even when he was persecuted, he exclaimed: "We obey God rather than any human authority…"(Acts 5: 29-32). It is said that Peter was crucified up side down on the cross for the Lord.

2. Thomas

Thomas was suspicious, when he was told that the Lord Jesus has resurrected, he said: "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." 8 days later, when the Lord reappeared to Thomas and the other disciples, Thomas called out: "My Lord and my God." (John 20: 24-28). From then on, he started the expedition of proclaiming the good news and died as a martyr in India for the Lord.

3. James, a brother of the Lord

Jesus left home at his thirty to start his ministry. James protested and thought that he was kind of nut, and paid no heed to his crucifixion. Not until the Lord Jesus appeared to him after his resurrection (Corinthians 15: 7) did he awake and become a servant of the Lord (James 1: 1).

II. The wide spread of the good news

After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples for several times, which greatly strengthened their faith. He entrusted the disciples an ultimate mission: go out to proclaim the good news to all the nations. So the disciples started from Jerusalem to proclaim the good news ever since. The message they gave out at first was the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Just as Paul said: "If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain, and your faith has been in vain." (Corinthians 15: 14).

The author of Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Josh McDowell said that all the religions of the world are based on philosophic deduction except four, which are built on the four religious leaders rather than philosophic systems. But among the four, only Christianity claimed that the tomb of its founder is empty, that is the Lord Jesus has been raised from the dead. The founder of the Judaism, Abraham, died in 1900 B. C., and so far there is no legend of his resurrection. As to Daoism, Buddhism and Islamism, there is no resurrection of the founders, either. Millions of Muslims pilgrim to Mecca to see the grand mausoleum of their religious leader Muhammad. The Buddhists worship the ash of the Buddha Sakyamuni. However, if a small piece of Jesus' bone were found, the Christianity would break down immediately. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus not only revived the disciples, but also made Paul, who used to persecute the Christians, repent after he met the resurrected Lord Jesus on his way to Damascus. Later he proclaimed the good news to the Gentiles at the risk of his life, bringing millions back to the Lord. In the past 2000 years, the message of the resurrection of the Lord has been spread out to the ends of the earth through the servants of God of all generations. Up to now, there are about 2, 000, 000, 000 people throughout the world putting faith in the resurrected Lord.

III. The establishment of churches

The word church originally refers to those who are elected. Though Jesus has selected 12 disciples when he was in the world, there were thousands of people following him, too. However, he predicted before his death that the shepherd would be struck and the sheep of the flock would be scattered (Mathew 26: 31). After the Lord Jesus' crucifixion, all the disciples were scattered indeed. Not until the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead did the disciples gather together again. According to Acts 1: 15, in those days, about 120 people gathered together. And the churches sprang up ever since, wherever there are people, churches will be established. But there is no other religion, which thrives like Christianity. It is because the Lord Jesus resurrected. Meger梅杰(Chinese PINYIN), the president of Laipeng莱朋(Chinese PINYIN) University in Oxford, said that if the disciples' knowledge of the Lord Jesus left off at his crucifixion on the cross, the churches would never have been established. The churches should be rooted in our faith in Messiah. If Messiah were dead, then he would not be Messiah indeed, but one who has been rejected by the Jews and cursed by God. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus revealed that he is the Son of God.

Praise God! The Lord Jesus did resurrect! Every one of us should put our faith in the resurrected Lord with a faithful heart and give testimony for our lord. Amen!

(The information above is provided according to the recorded message of the sermon.) 　

（根据录音整理）