OPEN

Have you ever been in a relationship when you suddenly realized that what you truly believed about the other person was completely wrong? In other words, you were completely blindsided by the actual truth.

INTRODUCTION

What are some key points that stuck out to you in the video?

What are some reasons people are skeptical about the truth claims that Christianity makes?

When we meet people who are skeptical or disbelieve all or parts of Christianity, should that give us cause to be timid or fearful? Why or why not?

READ
Read Luke 24:1-12
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8And they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

What makes the message of Christianity categorically different from the founding of any other world religion? Why should that matter to us?

Why is it significant that the resurrection was discovered by women first? How does this detail lend to the veracity of the resurrection?

Why should the resurrection matter to you? How is the resurrection the ultimate proof that God has the desire and the power to make all things new?

DIVE DEEPER

What does the empty tomb mean to you? How does it change the way you live?

Who do you know that needs the hope of the Resurrection in their lives? 
How can you go about sharing that hope with them?

Read over the resurrection story. Reflect and pray a prayer of thankfulness 
to God.

BIG IDEA
“Some ideas are brain deep, not life deep.” A.W. Tozer. In many respects this is what some believe about the resurrection. We believe Jesus died, was buried and rose from the dead. We know the tomb was empty that first Easter morning, but for some it only goes as far as their brains. The idea of the resurrections being real should not, and cannot just stay brain deep. It needs to go life deep. What exactly does this mean? The empty tomb changes how you live.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

How do we seek “the living amongst the dead” in our lives? What are some of those things that you seek life from, satisfaction from, fulfillment from that are dead?

How did the disciples respond to the women’s testimony? Knowing that Jesus really was resurrected, what kind of light does this put them in? How can pride get in the way of accepting truth? What does this passage teach us about the willingness to receive truth from others?