From Golgotha to the Grave (6)

Text: Luke 24:1–9 (KJV) Title: “The Proclamation from the Grave” Theme: The empty tomb is not silent—it proclaims the power, promise, and presence of the risen Christ. Key Verse: “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee.” (Luke 24:6)

Introduction:

On that first Easter morning, a group of women came to the tomb, hearts heavy, hands full of spices, intending to anoint the body of Jesus.

They were prepared for death

—but what they encountered was a living proclamation.

The grave, which once echoed with silence and sorrow, was now about to preach the loudest sermon the world has ever heard:

“He is not here, but is risen!”

That empty tomb spoke volumes then, and it still speaks volumes today.

This morning, with the little time we have, I want us to hear the Proclamation from the Grave—because the tomb is not silent, it is still proclaiming the same things it did that resurrection morning 2000 years ago.

I. The Empty Grave Proclaims the Power of God

Luke 24:2–3: “And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.”

That heavy stone wasn’t rolled away so Jesus could get out—it was rolled away so we could look in!

The resurrection is God’s ultimate display of divine power.

Death, which had claimed every soul since Adam, met its match in the Son of God.

The tomb could not hold Him.

The grave could not bind Him.

Paul would later write: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection…” (Philippians 3:10).

The power of the resurrection is not just historical—it is personal.

It is the power that saves, the power that transforms, the power that gives life to the spiritually dead.

If God raised Jesus from the grave, He has power over every situation in your life.

What’s dead in your life that needs resurrection power today?

Maybe your spirit?

Before slavation we are dead in our trespasses and sins.

Are you still dead?

God has the power to roll your stone away this morning

II. The Empty Grave Proclaims the Presence of God

Luke 24:5: “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

What a piercing question.

It’s a rebuke wrapped in revelation.

“You’re looking in the wrong place,” the angels say.

He is not among the dead—He is alive!

This reminds us:

Jesus is not a memory to be honored—He is a Savior to be encountered.

Jesus is not a relic to be remembered but a Redeemer to be revered.

He is alive and active

—working, walking, and winning today

His living presence gives peace, power, and purpose to all that believe.

He is not locked in the pages of history—He walks with us now.

He is alive when you're walking through sorrow.

He is alive when your faith feels faint.

He is alive in the quietness of prayer and the boldness of praise.

The proclamation from the grave is not just that Jesus rose, but that He still lives.

And because He lives, we live also.

Oh death where is thy sting, oh grave where is thy victory?

III. The Empty Grave Proclaims the Promises of God

Luke 24:6–7: “Remember how he spake unto you... saying, The Son of man must be delivered... and the third day rise again.”

The angels remind the women that Jesus had already spoken of this moment.

He foretold His suffering, His death, and His resurrection.

Christ’s resurrection confirms the truth of His prophecy.

Every promise He made is sealed by the empty tomb.

What He foretold, He fulfilled.

What does this tell us?

God keeps His Word.

If Jesus could keep His promise to rise from the dead—a promise no man had ever made and fulfilled before—then every other word He spoke is trustworthy.

When He says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”—you can count on it.

When He says, “In my Father's house are many mansions”—He means it.

When He says, “Whosoever believeth in me shall not perish”—that promise stands.

The resurrection is the divine stamp of authenticity on every word Jesus ever spoke.

The grave is preaching: You can trust Him.

IV. The Empty Grave Proclaims the Plan of God

Mark 16:7 “But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.”

Luke 24:9: “And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.”

When the women saw the empty tomb, they couldn’t keep it to themselves.

They became the first evangelists of the resurrection.

The first witnesses became the first messengers

The news was too good, the moment too powerful, to remain silent.

And so it is with us.

If you are born again you are not just an observer—you are a messenger.

Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel

We are the echo of the grave’s great proclamation.

We proclaim hope to the hopeless.

Life to the lifeless.

Victory to the defeated.

Forgiveness to the guilty.

Conclusion:

That first Easter morning, the grave began to preach—and it hasn’t stopped since.

What is it proclaiming?

That God is powerful enough to defeat death.

That Christ is present and active not just a figure of the past.

That God is faithful to keep His Word.

That we are called to share this message with the world.

The tomb is empty, but the message is full.

Let the grave speak to you today—and let its proclamation become your proclamation:

He is not here... but is risen!

Amen.