His Resurrection; and Yours

His Resurrection; and Yours

Easter Sunrise; WPBC 2024

Texts: Luke 24:1-8; John 11:9-27; Romans 6:4-5; 8:11

Introduction: What?

Grief does strange things to us. When we grieve, we are apt to forget things that are important to our dealing with the grief. My Mom’s death was a complete shock to our family. Although we knew she had some health issues, we didn’t see any of them as fatal. We were not prepared.

Jesus had done all He could to prepare His followers for His crucifixion and Resurrection on at least three occasions in the weeks leading up to His Passion. Mary Magdalene was one of His followers. But in her grief at the death of her Savior, she somehow forgot about the resurrection. Otherwise, she would not have gone to the tomb to complete the embalming process and she would not have been surprised by the empty tomb. Evidently the shock of what she witnessed during His crucifixion caused her to forget His predicted resurrection. She was not alone in this. Peter and the other disciples had also forgotten. Today we will look at some details of the Resurrection and what it means to us.

Examination: Why?

1. Morning Surprise

Luke 24:1–8 “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. “He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, saying, ‘It is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’And they remembered his words.”

The women had observed Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus putting the body of Jesus in the garden tomb on the evening of the crucifixion. Then they had to hurry home to prepare for the Sabbath. When Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday, the rushed to the market to buy additional spices to add to the 75 lbs of spices already used during the interment of Jesus’ body. Jews did not embalm their dead as the Egyptians did, consequently they used the spices to cover the stench of the decaying body. With the emotional trauma of the crucifixion still fresh in their minds, they completely forgot what Jesus had told them on three occasions regarding His arrest, trials, crucifixion and resurrection.

In 2016 I visited a Garden Tomb widely thought to be like the one where Jesus’ body was laid. In front of the tomb was a Vee-shaped groove about 18 inches wide and several descending feet on either side. The sealing stone, weighing upwards of a ton and about 6 feet in diameter, was scotched at one end of the groove. Once the body was inside, the scotch was removed and the heavy stone rolled down into the bottom of the Vee-shape. Moving it would have taken several men or perhaps a mule or ox. Scripture tells us that there was a great earthquake accompanied by “an angel of the Lord” who removed the stone. (Matthew 28:2–4 “There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men.”

At the Garden Tomb which I visited the stone was not just rolled up the groove, but it was completely across the courtyard in front of the tomb.

In order to get into the tomb, the women would have had to stoop just a bit to get in the opening. Once inside they could stand up. The body was laid on a stone shelf to the right of the entrance. As they stood there amazed because they did not see a body, suddenly two angelic beings stood by them and reminded them of what Jesus had told them. They had an “aha” moment as the clouds of grief parted and they remembered what Jesus had said.

They were not the first ones to whom Jesus spoke about resurrection.

2. Are You Listening?

John 11:23–27 ““Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her. Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.””

Although Martha heard what Jesus said, she didn’t comprehend it. She knew the teachings of the Tanach (Jewish scriptures) about the end time resurrection, but she couldn’t wrap her head around Jesus’ claim to BE the resurrection. She could, however, express her faith in Jesus as Messiah, the Son of God, who had come into the world. Once again grief clouded a person’s ability to comprehend resurrection. Jesus’ statement meant that He alone had the power to overcome death and restore life whenever He chose to do so. Then He assured her that “EVERYONE who lives and believes in Me will never die.” He was referring to the second death which is reserved for those who reject Him as Messiah. For believers physical death is just shedding their earth suit and being set free from illness, suffering and pain forever. Death isn’t an ending, rather it is a beginning of life unencumbered by sin and the curse it carries with it.

Paul explained this further to the Roman church in his letter to them.

3. Our Assurance

Romans 6:4–5 “Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection.”

Paul used the word picture of water baptism to explain that when we receive Christ we are immersed into Him. Consequently whatever He experienced, so do we. Those who have received Christ have been crucified with Him (Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” )

Not only have we been crucified with Him, but we have also been raised with Him to live a “faith-life”. If you have surrendered to Christ, you have ALREADY been resurrected. It is a done deal. To help us understand this further, Paul wrote:

Romans 8:11 “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.”

The very same power that raised Jesus from the dead, and rolled the stone away from the tomb lives in you RIGHT NOW! Although your physical body will die because of the effect of sin, YOU will not die because you have been made alive in Christ. You are freed from sin. As was declared over you at your baptism, you have been “raised to walk in newness of life.” Hallelujah!

Application: How should the Resurrection impact how you share the gospel?