Psalm 16:1-11 NIV A miktam of David Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

(2) I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." (3) As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. (4) The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips. (5) LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. (6) The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Psalm 16:1-11 NIV A miktam of David (7) I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me. (8) I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (9) Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, (10) because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. (11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

David: Shaping a Godly Heart

The Abandoned Grave

Psalm 16

Psalm 16:1-2 NIV

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. (2) I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

Psalm 16:3 NIV

As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

Psalm 16:4a NIV The sorrows of those

will increase who run after other gods.

Matthew Henry: “They that multiply gods multiply griefs to themselves. Whoever thinks one god too little finds two too many, and hundreds not enough.”

Psalm 16:4b NIV

I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.

Psalm 16:5-6 NIV

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. (6) The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, (5) who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Matthew 26:42 NIV

He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

1 Peter 2:23 NIV

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Psalm 16:7-8 NIV

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. (8) I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 16:9 NIV

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

Psalm 49:12-15 NIV

The psalmist on the fate of the wicked: But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is

like the beasts that perish. (13) This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah (14) Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them.

The psalmist on the future of the righteous: The upright will rule over them in the morning; their

forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. (15) But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.

Psalm 16:10-11 NIV

because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. (11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Resurrection poll

They were asked: “Do you believe that, after you die, your physical body will be resurrected someday?” 36% said “yes”. 54% said “no”. 10% were “undecided”.

According to the poll: 90% of Americans believe in God. 65% are “absolutely certain” that God exists. 72% believe in an afterlife. 47% are absolutely certain that there is an afterlife.

Half of those who attended church recently said they believe they will undergo a physical resurrection compared to a quarter of those who have not attended church recently.

Nigel Lee died March 30, 2006, after a battle with cancer He wrote: “My dislike of hospital

dramas in TV is well known in my family. Needles and knives, bedpans and blood tests - they give me the chills. So having to spend ten days in hospital, being operated on for aggressive cancer, was always going to be difficult.

Nigel Lee died March 30, 2006, after a battle with cancer "Do people die of this?"

I'd asked the Macmillan nurse.

"Oh yes," she said, beaming at me, as if this was an everyday occurrence.

But not to me it wasn't!

Nigel Lee died March 30, 2006, after a battle with cancer The seriously ill men on

my ward were facing their future in different ways, some with anger, some with fear, even despair.

At the end of the day, when the visitors had gone, we would talk quietly together.

Nigel Lee died March 30, 2006, after a battle with cancer I work in my spare time

as a presenter of a BBC religious programme called 'The Daily Service'.

People who listen in are often looking for words of wisdom, or a spiritual 'connection moment', even from Radio 4!

What had I got to say now?

Nigel Lee died March 30, 2006, after a battle with cancer I found that Christian

faith grew stronger under these circumstances.

It's about hope - not the sort of hope that buys lottery tickets, but a certainty concerning life after death, based on Christ's explanation of his own resurrection.

Nigel Lee died March 30, 2006, after a battle with cancer It's also about

experience. As I had more time to read the bible, I found the risen Lord stepping off the pages, talking to me about my soul, my relationships and my future.

We need anchors like this when life stops being a TV drama and becomes really scary.”

Every year, he spoke at the Keswick Convention

“Dear Keswick friends: I am so sorry not to be with you this year. I was greatly looking forward to it. Keswick has meant much to me over the years.

Every year, he spoke at the Keswick Convention

I think particularly of heart-felt worship in the presence of good friends, a deep unity in Christ with people who are different, the glory of the Lord Jesus being unveiled before our eyes, a fresh commitment to his service forever.

Every year, he spoke at the Keswick Convention

But the doctors have told me that I should expect, before the convention begins, to be in the one place where all these foreshadowings have given way to reality, though they didn’t quite put it that way.

Every year, he spoke at the Keswick Convention

I wish they could have done so. Our trials have included much glory because of the kindness of the Lord, and the best is yet to come.”

Psalm 16:11 NIV

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(23) This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(24) But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(25) David said about him: "'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (26) Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope,

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(27) because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. (28) You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(29) "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(30) But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(31) Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. (32) God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(33) Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(34) For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand (35) until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."'

Acts 2:22-36 NIV

(36) "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

No one points to Jesus tomb and says “Here he is”

Moslems visit Mohammed’s tomb

Jews visit David’s tomb

Christians have no tomb, because we have no corpse!

What about “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” (Discovery, March 4)?

Director Simcha Jacobovici – “The Naked Archaeologist”

Producer James Cameron – of “Titanic” and “Terminator” fame

The Talpiot tomb was excavated in 1980 It was documented by Amos

Kloner, an Israeli archaeologist. Only recently has it been called

the “Jesus Family Tomb.” “[T]hey found ten ossuaries, six

with inscriptions. The inscribed ones include a "Matthew," a "Joseph," two "Marys," and a "Jesus, son of Joseph."'" (The Jesus Family Tomb, Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino, p. 45).

Also a "Judah, son of Jesus." According to the film-makers,

there is no one in the world who could be buried in this tomb but Jesus of Nazareth.

How likely is this?

“It is a sensationalistic claim without any scientific basis or support.”

Dr. Jodi Magness, (Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism, Dept of Religious Studies, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)

“The tomb is inconsistent with what we know of the burial practices of 1st Century Jews.”

Only wealthy Jews could afford hewn tombs. The tombs were

reused by generations.

When room was needed, the bones were put in ossuaries which were sometimes labeled with the names of the deceased.

Poor people were buried in trench graves, like we do today

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus hastily arranged a tomb burial because the body had to be buried within 24 hours and no burial could be done on the Sabbath.

If they waited past sunset on Friday, Jesus could not be buried within the 24 hours.

That explains why the women went to the tomb to provide proper burial on Sunday morning.

Jesus was not from a Judean family, but from Galilee. His family would have no

tomb in Judea (like a person dying in another nation).

If not raised, his body would have been buried in a grave, where it would decay.

Names in the Talpiot tomb are common Jewish names.

Source: Biblical Archaeology Review (3/5/07)

"The biggest fact about Joseph's tomb was that it wasn't a tomb at all - it was a room for a transient. Jesus just stopped there...on His way back to glory." (Herbert Booth Smith)

Resurrection Wins Big in Poll!

The (Southern) Baptist Press reports:

75% of the Americans who say they are not born-again Christians still believe the biblical account of Jesus literally coming back to life in his physical body.

Resurrection Wins Big in Poll!

Of those who watched The Lost Tomb of Jesus, 35% said they were more likely to attend an Easter service after hearing about or viewing Cameron's documentary.

Only 7% said the film would decrease the possibility that they would attend church this Easter Sunday.

Easter is history, not fantasy

The evidence leads to an empty tomb. The hope of Easter is not that there is no

death, but that it is impossible for death to keep its hold on us.

Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there. – Clarence Hall

Let every man and woman count himself immortal. Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in his resurrection. Let him say not merely, "Christ is risen," but "I shall rise." – Phillips Brooks

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. – Robert Flatt