The Reality of the Resurrection

Introduction

Easter Sunday is one of the most popular holidays in our country as nearly 80% of people plan on celebrating Easter this year. What exactly do we celebrate on Easter, though? Some holidays like the 4th of July or Mother’s Day (which for every husband and son in the room is coming up quickly!) we know what we celebrate because its a secular holiday. But what about Easter? People celebrate lots of different things on this day.

I’ve heard some say that they celebrate this holiday because the weather is starting to get nicer and warmer outside - I’ve even heard that this morning and we praise the Lord!

Others celebrate this day because they’re going to fire up the grill possibly for the first time all year this afternoon!

Others celebrate this day because of family traditions and get togethers that are about to happen

Others, though, celebrate today mainly because it’s the day that we remember that Jesus Christ rose from the grave and defeated sin and death!

Now, we live in a world where people are growing increasingly skeptical of things they see and hear and at the same time, it seems like trust is at an all-time low towards things that we see and hear. Maybe this is you this morning. You love the family traditions of Easter. You love the warmer weather. You’re even good with coming to church this Sunday to spend time with family, but now you’re a little uneasy because we’re talking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and you’re a bit skeptical of this because it goes against the normal pattern in our world where death is final. Because of this, we desperately need to see the evidence behind the resurrection and this is exactly what we’ll be doing today in Luke 24 as we’ll find that the tomb is empty and the throne is occupied! As you turn to Luke 24, page 934 in the Bible in front of you, possibly you have heard this story a million times and you believe it… possibly you’ve heard this story a million times and you’re skeptical about it… possibly this is all new to you! Regardless of your background, regardless of your past, regardless of your feelings right now, my prayer for each of us is that Jesus would open our eyes and hearts to respond obediently to the finished work of Jesus Christ!

Luke 24:1–12 CSB

1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. 5 So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. 6 “He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, 7 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’ 8 And they remembered his words. 9 Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. 10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them were telling the apostles these things. 11 But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the linen cloths. So he went away, amazed at what had happened.

Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here, He has risen. That’s a sermon in and of itself, isn’t it? For days these disciples believed Jesus was gone and they were on their own. But now there was hope… Peter runs to verify what the women told him and sure enough, there was no body. How have you responded to this message before? Some of us have responded with repentance and faith, but maybe you’re here and your response has been rejection instead of repentance. Maybe your response has been fascination, but not faith. Understand this, friend, Jesus loves you. He made you. He died for sinners just like me and you. He rose to save sinners just like me and you. Let’s pray and ask Jesus to open our eyes today and respond to Him appropriately!

The Miracle: The Tomb Is Empty (1-12)

How many of us like surprises? It probably depends a little bit on the actual surprise. A few years ago there was a family in Louisiana who were blown away when they noticed a $50 billion dollar deposit was placed in their checking account. Can you imagine that for just a second? Not $50,000. Not $50 million. $50 billion! That’s a pleasant surprise at least until the bank takes the money out of your account. We’ve all had good surprises - things that go our way for a change, people that are kind to us, our body cooperating with us, children giving us a good night of sleep! Imagine the surprise on the face of these women in Luke 24. They’ve made their way to the tomb and what they find is the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus gone. At this point, we all have to reckon with the reality of the empty tomb. What on earth happened? Whenever we see something or hear of something that defies logic, we search for an explanation. Maybe you’ve heard some of these explanations below

Some say that the disciples stole Jesus’ body

Some say that the disciples made up a lie about the resurrection so they would attract a following

Some say that Jesus didn’t really die, He just fainted and escaped out of the tomb after pushing the stone really hard

Some say that the resurrection was actually a myth borrowed from other ancient cultures

Some believe that all of the disciples hallucinated what they saw

Some of us are familiar with this story and we’ve heard it literally thousands of times, but think back to the first time you heard about Jesus’ resurrection. How He was crucified on the cross, buried for 3 days, and rose back to life. Maybe these other options stand out as more plausible because in our world, once you’re dead, you’re dead! Let’s think through the problems with these explanations, though. We read in Luke 23 that Pilate found no grounds for crucifying Jesus, but did so because the people wanted Him dead. The Romans simply wanted to keep the peace - they weren’t so much interested in justice as they were their power and they knew that Jesus was a polarizing figure. People worshiped Him and people hated Him. Some were devoted to Him, others wanted Him dead. After the crucifixion, we see that Jesus was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb and this tomb was to be guarded by soldiers. For those who say the disciples stole His body, you’d have to make the case that the disciples either overthrew the soldiers or they bribed them. They didn’t have that kind of money and they didn’t have that kind of power. The Romans needed Jesus gone to keep the peace. A missing body only stirs up trouble in the region. The body couldn’t have been stolen. Further, if this was all a lie then the proof would have simply been to reveal the body - that explanation doesn’t hold weight because the body wasn’t found in the tomb! Additionally, if it was a lie, they would have told a better one that makes them look better and makes the message be more believable. What about those who say that Jesus didn’t really die? Again, the Romans needed Jesus quiet. The Romans were experts in crucifixion. We read in John’s Gospel that Jesus was already dead but just to make sure, a soldier pierces His side. He was really dead. We read after the resurrection that Jesus appeared to 500 people all at once and none of them wavered in their statement that Jesus was alive. This is a miracle of epic proportions, the tomb is empty and Jesus’ body isn’t there!

This is what the angels tell the women - He is risen just as He said. See, you don’t go looking for a living person in a graveyard - they were looking for the right person but in the wrong place! They had to remember His His words that He said over and over

Luke 24:7 CSB

7 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’

Do you know how many times Jesus said this throughout Luke’s Gospel? We see this in Luke 9:22 as He first began making His way to Jerusalem, and we see this again in Luke 9:44, and third in Luke 18:33. Three separate times Jesus taught this to His disciples but we see in the text that the meaning was hidden from them. It took the resurrection for things to finally make sense. They finally understood what Jesus had taught over and over and over. They remembered His words.

How many times do we forget things? Not just the little things like where we put something or what groceries we need at the store… the big stuff. Important passwords, dates, events. We all forget things in this life. What is the solution to forgetting things? There are a lot of answers we could think of - for some of us we have to set alarms and notes in our phone to remind us of what to do and when to do it. For others we have to write it down on a note so that we see it. The solution to being forgetful is to remember what is important. What does this mean for us as we think of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? We are tempted to be forgetful of what Jesus has done. We are tempted to be forgetful of how lost we are. We are tempted to think that we are better than we really are and to forget our sin and how it separates each of us from God. We’re prone to wander and tempted to forget. What is the solution? The Gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news that God sent His Son into the world to seek and save the lost like you and me. This required Jesus to die for our sins on the cross and come back to life after 3 days. We must remember who Jesus is and what Jesus did!

This is why every time you come to FBC Salem, I stand by this because this is what God has called me to do as a pastor, you will hear the Gospel preached. This is the main thing that we do each time we gather for corporate worship. We need to hear the Gospel. We need to be reminded of the Gospel - the good news of what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago. We must remember that the tomb was and still is empty! We must keep our eyes fixed on the Gospel because whenever we do this, everything else falls into its appropriate place.

These women remember Jesus’ teaching and then they go and tell the disciples but the disciples didn’t believe them. They thought this was nonsense. This can’t be true. Thomas was a true Missourian at heart as he says, “I’ll only believe if I can see the scars for myself. Show me the toes - I mean scars.” Why would they do this? At this time the testimony of these women wouldn’t hold up in court. It’s hard to place too much blame on the disciples here as we look around our world and see much of the same response, don’t we? You tell someone about the resurrection and you’re usually met with skepticism, doubt, and disbelief. You’re on fire for the Lord and you tell someone about Jesus and its like they throw a bucket of cold water on you - that’s nonsense! Have you been there? It’s painful to be a born again believer and to share the Gospel and watch someone deny deny deny. These disciples were taught by Jesus Himself about His resurrection, but because of their pain in watching Jesus die, they were numb and in denial. Friend, if this is you in your moment of darkness and pain, look to Jesus. Look to the empty tomb. Be like Peter and run to see the evidence for yourself! This same man who days earlier had denied Jesus 3x ran for the tomb with desperation. This man had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He ran and he was amazed at what he saw. The tomb truly was empty. This truly was a miracle. We all have to grapple with the evidence at hand. Let’s see what the resurrected Jesus had to say about all of this down in verse 18 as the resurrected Jesus is talking with 2 followers who were providentially unable to recognize Him

Luke 24:18–27 CSB

18 The one named Cleopas answered him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked them. So they said to him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. 21 But we were hoping that he was the one who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb, 23 and when they didn’t find his body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.

The Message: The Text Is Evident (18-27)

A few years ago there was a show called Undercover Boss and it was just about what you’d expect with that kind of title. There would be a major company and the CEO would go undercover with a disguise and work a day with various people in the company in all sorts of different departments. Sometimes the CEO would work for hours outside in the heat, other times they’d have to do computer work or talk with people on the phone, other times they’d have to learn a skill on the fly. More times than not, the employee wouldn’t know who they were training until the very end of the episode as they were brought into the CEO’s office and suddenly somethings would click as that piece of information changed everything. What we see on the Emmaus road is something similar to this. We see that Jesus is walking down this path with 2 men who are somehow prevented from recognizing Him. One is named Cleopas and he asks Jesus, “Don’t you know what just happened in Jerusalem?” Cleopas went ahead and shared all that happened with Jesus… but who was Cleopas talking to? JESUS! Do you see the irony here? Why did this happen? Because Jesus was a stranger they couldn’t recognize at first. Their eyes weren’t opened… yet. Don’t you know someone in this situation? Someone who is flying blind when it comes to spiritual things? See, these men know the facts of the Gospel but they didn’t recognize the face of the Gospel. There are many in our world in the same boat and maybe you are one of them. You know facts about the Gospel, but you don’t know the face. You know details, but you don’t have devotion.

Look at how Jesus responds to these men in verse 25 - how foolish you are and slow to believe… Just as the women were rebuked by the angels when they were told, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead” here these men are rebuked by Jesus because they too didn’t believe what the Bible had been talking about for hundreds of years before this point. The reason that we get in trouble at times is the same. It’s not that we don’t know something, it’s that we haven’t believed what we’ve been told. We are basing our belief in our feelings, not the facts of God’s Word. I’ve had this conversation with many people who say this: I would believe in God if God would just heal this person or if He wrote His name in the sky, if that would happen then of course I’d believe! Look at what Jesus said about this type of statement in Luke 16:31

Luke 16:31 CSB

31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Here’s the reality of the situation for all of us, church, God’s Word is sufficient. We don’t need signs and wonders in order to be saved. The text of Scripture is evident! We read in the Bible that sin is our greatest problem. We read in the Bible that God set forth a plan from the foundation of the world to send His Son out of His love and save us from our sins. The Bible has been pointing us to Jesus from the very first page! Jesus is the solution. This is what Luke’s Gospel has about from start to finish, Jesus will come and die and come back to life and save His people from their sins. This was His promise! So many desire a word from the Lord while neglecting the Word of the Lord. Friend, the text is evident! It is clear. All of Scripture is pointing us to Jesus Christ. This is exactly what Jesus says in verse 27, one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

Luke 24:27 CSB

27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.

What is Jesus doing here? He is saying that all of the Bible is about me! You’re left with two options at this point: Either Jesus is a narcissist or He is God. That’s it. Either He’s deceived or He’s divine. You can’t say that the Bible is a good book and a helpful book to pick and choose parts to obey and practice but then reject Jesus as Savior whenever Jesus says that all of Scripture is about Him.

Think of the person in the 1st century world who saw Jesus die. You’re thinking that Jesus is cursed by God because of Deuteronomy 21:22-23. The Romans saved crucifixion for the worst criminals and it was off the table for true Roman citizens because it was such a bad way to die. You see Jesus die and you’re left thinking that this man, as awesome as His teachings were, as great as His miracles were, as yummy as those bread and fish were years before, this man was cursed by God. He was hanging on a tree. This man was supposed to be the Messiah. The chosen one. But on the cross He said that God had forsaken Him. This makes no sense other than to say that Jesus was a fraud. He was abandoned by God. Cursed by God. Killed by man. Unable to take Himself off the cross and save Himself like He saved others. This makes no sense! Until the Resurrection. Until the stone was moved and Christ arose. This means that God raised Jesus back to life. This means that God was pleased with Jesus. This means, y’all this is important, that when Jesus was cursed by God on the cross, it wasn’t because of what HE had done. It wasn’t because of His sin. He was cursed because of someone else’s sin. Because of your sin. Because of my sin. Jesus begins to explain the Scriptures starting with Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus… whenever you understand the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you understand the cross. Whenever you understand the cross, you understand the entire Old Testament. Those sacrifices that we’ve been reading about in our Bible reading plan, all of that bloodshed that took place for the sins of the people, what is all of that pointing us to? A New Covenant that is a better covenant that doesn’t require constant sacrifices but was a one stop shop on the cross as Jesus paid it all! Once we understand the cross we understand God’s promises to Abraham and David that all the nations of the world will be blessed and that a king will rule on the throne forever. Jesus preaches a sermon that took hours and hours as He interpreted for these two people all the things concerning Him in all the Scriptures. He likely went back to Genesis 3:15 and traced that ancient promise of a snake-crushing Savior from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane. Noah and his family being saved in the Ark wasn’t just about them… it was also pointing ahead to the cross which serves as an Ark as Jesus saves us from God’s wrath. Abraham and Isaac on the Mountain wasn’t just about them… it was pointing us ahead to Jesus being our substitute offered in our place as the Lamb of God who rose victorious over sin and the grave. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the fire wasn’t just about them… it points us ahead to the tomb as Jesus was thrown into the fire of death but came out the other side victorious.

As all roads in England lead to London, so does every verse in the Bible lead us to Jesus Christ. The text is evident. It’s always been pointing us to Jesus. Jesus had taught them over and over that He would die, and rise 3 days later. As we look into Scripture, we see evidence all over the place that Jesus would come, live a perfect life, die for sinners, rise, and save His people. The Bible is Christocentric - it’s all about Jesus. If it’s all about Jesus, who is it not all about? You and me. The more Jesus taught, the more they understood. They more the lightbulb went off. The root of our faith is not in self. It’s not in experience. It is in the Word of God and the God of the Word. As you consider the evidence of the Resurrection with the Tomb and the Text, what is your response? Many know something about the Bible and some facts about Jesus, but do you know the message of Scripture? Do you know this Jesus? Do you believe in the Resurrection?

The Father planned it

The OT prophesied it

Jesus promised it

The empty tomb proved it

The Angels proclaimed it

Jesus is Risen!

It’s always been and will always be about Jesus!

Luke 24:45–49 CSB

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day, 47 and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.”

Our Mission: Our Time Is Empowered (45-49)

God doesn’t make mistakes. It is impossible for Him to do this! Jesus appears to His disciples, He teaches them, He opens their minds, He gives them peace, then before He ascends He gives them marching orders. They are called to be His witnesses starting in Jerusalem. They were commissioned to use their time to tell others what Jesus had done. Here we find the mission of the church. We are to call on people to repent. We are to share that there is forgiveness of sins found exclusively in Jesus Christ. How do we do this? When we get to Acts, when the Holy Spirit comes, we see Peter and Paul preach the Word powerfully. As we think of our church, what do we do whenever we gather? We share this Gospel message! We call on people to repent from their sins. Be forgiven by Jesus Christ. We proclaim the name of Jesus as there is power in His name! We do this every time we gather and we will never apologize for this because it’s what we are commanded to do. We are on mission until we draw our last breath or until Christ returns and last I checked for everyone in this room, Christ has not come back yet and we’re all still breathing, this means we’d better get to work with the time we have left. Alistaig Begg shared this years ago, “Jesus has not yet returned because He’s looking for kids for His kingdom.” If you are here and you don’t know this Jesus, if you have not repented of your sins and placed your faith in Christ as Savior and been forgiven by His blood, rejoice as there is still time today. The story of the Resurrection is not just good news, it is true news. This news changes everything! If Jesus truly raised from the dead and did what no other person could do, then you and I had better make sure that we are living a life that is in line with what He says we must do! If the Resurrection is true, we can’t live how we used to live. Our priorities change. Our heart changes. The way that we spend our time, talent, and treasure changes! If you are here today and you claim to believe in this Jesus, how has He changed you? Consider how the Resurrection changed these disciples. We see in Luke 24 that they are waiting together. They didn’t know what to do. Do we disband and go back to our families? Do we stay in hiding? Are we going to be killed next? They were hiding. They were afraid. Yet, what happens next? They are preaching the Gospel. Calling on people to repent of their sinfulness and to believe in Christ. They were bold for Jesus even if it cost them their lives. What changed between the cross and the book of Acts? The resurrection really happened.

1 Corinthians 15:17 CSB

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

Even facing the prospect of death, they didn’t renounce their faith. To their dying breath, they said that Jesus had raised. No one cracked! 10 people don’t die gruesome deaths over a fabricated lie. The reality of the resurrection changed their lives… has it changed yours? If it has, then friend you have work to do today! Our time is empowered as we are led by the Holy Spirit and given a mission from our King to go and make His name known to our neighbors and the nations. Maybe you think that’s hard work, you’re right. Maybe you think that will stretch you out of your comfort zone, you’re right. Maybe you think that there are easier things to do, you’re absolutely right. But, Christian, if Jesus really rose, everything changes! This is the reality of the situation. This is what the evidence shows. This is the truth - Jesus is ALIVE! The tomb declares it. The text of Scripture promised it. How has this changed you, and how is it continuing to change you today? What has Jesus done in your life?

See, as you and I look at our world today, we see brokenness. We see sickness. We see suffering. We see pain. We’ve all experienced these things. Do you know why we see this broken world in the state that it’s in with division and anger and immorality? God created a perfect world and said that it was good. And he gave our ancestors a single command: Don’t eat of this one fruit. God said that if you keep this command you’ll live, if you disobey, you’ll die. Adam ate. He disobeyed. He sinned against God and we see in Romans 5 that through one man’s sin, death spread to all mankind because we’re all born of this one man and we inherit this sinful, broken nature. Our world is broken and messed up because of this sin, because of our sin, and this means that we’re guilty before God because God’s standard isn’t “good” by the way that you and I define good. It’s not “better than your neighbor” or “90th percentile” - it’s perfection and there we all fall short! In our world people talk about justice and equality and getting what we deserve - you do not want God to be just with you this very minute because if He were to do this, we’d all be dead. The wages of sin is death and this is where we’re all at! Why is Resurrection Sunday such good news? Because we do celebrate the justice of God but we also celebrate the mercy of God as He sent His Son, Jesus, who was born of a virgin so as to not inherit this sinful nature. Jesus lived a sinless life. As fully man, Jesus could experience death. And as fully God, Jesus could destroy it As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us! You and I have broken God’s command. We’re guilty of treason before Him. Yet, God put our sin upon His Son. Jesus gives us His perfect righteousness that we could never deserve. We place our faith in Jesus and as Charles Spurgeon shared years ago for Christians, “You stand before God as if you were Christ because Christ stood before God as if He were you.” All who are in Christ can come to the Father and will be saved. Here’s the good news about salvation - Jesus doesn’t just save you and leave you. He saves you and He changes you. See, we all need to be changed. We call this sanctification - the process of looking more like Jesus Christ, and this is a journey, but do you know how it ends? In glory with our Father as He says this, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Believers, are you excited about that day? You know one of the things that I’m looking forward to the most? No more sin. I’m sick of sin. I’m sick of having a heart that bent towards disobeying my Savior. I’m sick of watching loved ones hurt. I’m sick of watching people burnout. I’m sick of sin and I trust that you are too. Friends, understand this, this is our hope. We are saved from the penalty of sin the moment we are saved by Jesus. We are being saved from the power of sin in our life as we die to self and Christ lives in us. For 2 chapters in Genesis there is no sin, then for the next 1,185 sin is present. Thousands of years later sin is still present and ruining lives. But, friend, sin has an expiration date. One day we will be saved from the presence of sin when our faith is made sight! What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see!

What is your response to this Jesus? He demands one. There can be no neutrality about an empty tomb. What is your decision today about the reality of the resurrection? There are several essential responses to the Resurrection that we see in our text

Christian, because of the reality of the resurrection, your victory is won - live with hope!

The Christian should be the most confident and hopeful person on the planet… yet you and I both know people who attend church and appear to be fearful and hopeless consistently. That’s a contradiction as we look to the empty tomb. Not only did Jesus conquer the grave, He won our victory as there is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. This means that in this life, we know how the story ends. When you know the end of the story, even though things get dark and confusing in the middle, you have hope with each step you take.

Non-Christian, because of the reality of the resurrection, you must repent and follow Jesus!

If this is either all new to you, or if you’ve heard this for the millionth time today but you find yourself having not responded to this message of salvation before, don’t put this off. Death is a real foe that we all will face. You can either face it by yourself, or you can face it with a death defeating Savior. We all suffer in life and death is our common enemy, but because of the resurrection you can face this opponent with hope. You must acknowledge your sin and hopelessness apart from Jesus. Repent, turn from your sin. Understand the severity of your condition apart from Jesus. Trust in Him. Ask Him to forgive you and change you. Follow this Jesus.

Christian, because of the reality of the resurrection, you have a mission to live out!

Time is ticking. As the Getty’s penned in the song, “Facing a Task Unfinished” - Unnumbered souls are dying, and pass into the night. The greatest problem in Dent County is lostness. There are thousands of our neighbors who don’t know Christ as Lord and Savior. Today, you might be one of them. If this is you, your biggest problem is lostness. The empty tomb and the text of Scripture prove that God didn’t leave you where you were at. He sent His Son. This is the greatest story of all… and it can become your story today.

Come and See turns into Go and Tell. Come and see the empty tomb. Go and tell others the best news of all. Jesus is alive. Jesus still saves.