1 John 4:13-16
On Seeing the Son
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
2 Peter 1:16-18
Eyewitness of Jesus
16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 18We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Appearances of Jesus after His Death
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 Corinthians 15:12-22
Hope in the Resurrection
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
John, one of the Twelve disciples of Jesus, says that he has seen Jesus and that the Father of Jesus, our God is the One who sent His Son to and for us...Peter, another of Jesus' disciples writes that he was an eyewitness to His Majesty...Paul writes to the Corinthians, that he knows that Peter and others, including himself, have seen Jesus -even after His death...These are three examples of men who saw Jesus...John and Peter saw Jesus, both before and after His death...Paul saw Jesus after Jesus died...Paul was on the road to Damascus...Paul knew the Old Testament Scripture, maybe even better, than John or Peter...But John and Peter, who were originally fishermen, but had the Teacher, the Master Teacher of the Bible, teach them about scripture...These two got to experience the Bible through Jesus's eyes...Paul met Jesus only briefly after His death, but got to know Peter and many of the other disciples from his missionary work back and forth from Jerusalem to the other countries and cities, he visited...He was a master and orator, it seems, because Paul converted many Gentiles to Jesus and Christianity...All three of these men were leaders of the early church in spreading the gospel, the good news, about Jesus, and His life and teachings...
But it is not good enough to just teach about a Good Man and a Good Teacher...For us to have hope as Christians, we must have not only hope, but evidence...We must have hope in the resurrection that Jesus lives...That He lives even today, as I write this message...And He does...For it is as Paul says, if we preach, talk, or even write about Jesus, and He hasn't been raised from the dead, then we are without hope...We lose hope about not only, our LORD and Savior, but also about His Father...We become false witnesses and liars, and our message(s) are useless, and so is our faith...There is no faith without God and Jesus...I would add there is no hope without the resurrection...The resurrection is the most important fact in our lives...Our LORD brings us eternal life, a purpose in and for life...Without Him, everything is just random and by random chance...The sun I see today, just happened, with no meaning, the trees, I look at today, just appeared out of nothing -many, many years ago...For if there is no resurrection, there is no hope for me and others, and my faith is in vain...
But Jesus did indeed walk our earth...He had these two important figures that followed Him and write about Him, after His death...These two are Saints...They are St. Peter and St. John...They were eyewitnesses to His majesty...St. Paul saw Him after His death and got to know His teachings through Peter, James, the LORD's brother (Galatians 1:18-19), and others...Many saw Him and knew Him before His death...In fact, five hundred people saw Him the forty days on earth, after His death and resurrection (Acts 1:3, 1 Corinthians 15:6)...
So when I look to my and others faith, we not only have hope, and are given hope through Jesus' life and resurrection...These men and others were eyewitness, to the facts, and yes, I say saw the facts surrounding the Greatest Man to walk our earth...I believe He did this things, as I read about the evidence of the facts -of these things, and I have faith that He did these things...