The Cross and Empty Tomb

Call to Worship

Psalm 118:1–2 LSB

Give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever. Oh let Israel say, “His lovingkindness endures forever.”

Psalm 118:14–24 LSB

Yah is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly. The right hand of Yahweh is exalted; The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly. I will not die; indeed I will live, And recount the works of Yah. Yah has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to Yah. This is the gate of Yahweh; The righteous will enter through it. I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is from Yahweh; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which Yahweh has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

The Cross

Matthew 27:34–54 LSB

they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He did not want to drink. And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. “He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” And immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. But the rest of them were saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was God’s Son!”

The Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper pictures Christ’s death as we do this in memory of Him

1 Corinthians 11:26 LSB

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.

1 Corinthians 11:23–25 LSB

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Scripture and Prayer

Matthew 28:1–10 LSB

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards quaked from fear of him and became like dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and report to My brothers to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Love Crucified Arose

Long ago He blessed the earth Born older than the years And in the stall a cross He saw Through the first of many tears A life of homeless wandering Cast out in sorrow's way The Shepherd seeking for the lost His life, the price He paid Love crucified, arose The Risen One in splendor Jehovah's soul Defender Has won the victory Love crucified, arose And the grave became a place of hope For the heart that sin and sorrow broke Is beating once again Throughout Your life You felt the weight Of what You'd come to give To drink for us that crimson cup So we might really live At last the time to love and die The dark appointed day That one forsaken moment When Your Father turned His face away

Love crucified, arose The One who lived and died for me Was Satan's nail-pierced casualty Now He's breathing once again Love crucified, arose And the grave became a place of hope For the heart that sin and sorrow broke Is beating once again

Love crucified, arose The Risen One in splendor Jehovah's soul defender Has won the victory Love crucified, arose And the grave became a place of hope For the heart that sin and sorrow broke Is beating once again

For the heart that sin and sorrow broke Is beating once again

Intro:

AG:

TS: Today, I want us to look at 2 important and connected places. The Cross and the Empty Tomb.

On the Cross, Jesus died as a substitute for us and when He rose again, He sealed the victory.

RS:

I The Cross

Matthew 27:50–54 LSB

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was God’s Son!”

The Bible presents the cross of Jesus as the central event of God’s redemptive plan, where Jesus willingly died as a substitute for humanity’s sins.

His death accomplished multiple interconnected things, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies (such as Isaiah 53) and providing the basis for salvation through faith. Jesus himself declared on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30), indicating the completion of his atoning work.9

Here are some of the primary accomplishments described in Scripture:

1. Forgiveness of Sins and Atonement

Jesus bore the penalty for humanity’s sins in his body, acting as a substitute so that believers can be forgiven and cleansed.

1 Peter 2:24

1 Peter 2:24 LSB

Who Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that having died to sin, we might live to righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.

(2 Corinthians 5:21)

2 Corinthians 5:21 LSB

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This is often called penal substitution: Jesus took the punishment we deserved.2

All of us sin. That sin has a penalty.

We can spend eternity in Hell separated from God due to it. OR Christ’s atonement can be applied to our debt!

We are cleansed and debt is forgiven

2. Reconciliation with God

The cross removed the hostility and alienation caused by sin, restoring peace and relationship between God and people.

(2 Corinthians 5:19)

2 Corinthians 5:19 LSB

namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

(Colossians 1:20)

Colossians 1:20 LSB

And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him—whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Reconcile- settle differences.

We were separated from God by our sin. We were dead and going the wrong direction.

Jesus removed our debt and made peace between us and God.

3. Redemption and Freedom from Sin’s Power

Jesus paid the ransom price to free people from slavery to sin, the law’s curse, and death.

(Galatians 3:13)

Galatians 3:13 LSB

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—

MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary

The Gr. word translated “redeemed” was often used to speak of buying a slave’s or debtor’s freedom. Christ’s death, because it was a death of substitution for sin, satisfied God’s justice and exhausted His wrath toward His elect, so that Christ actually purchased believers from slavery to sin and from the sentence of eternal death

(Romans 6:6)

Romans 6:6 LSB

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

Because of the cross, we no longer are under the power of sin.

We can be free because of Christ

II. The Empty Tomb

Matthew 28:1–10 LSB

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards quaked from fear of him and became like dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and report to My brothers to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

The empty tomb of Jesus is one of the most pivotal elements in the biblical account of the resurrection.

It serves as powerful physical evidence that Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end—his body was no longer there because he had risen from the dead, just as he had predicted (e.g., Matthew 16:21; John 2:19-22).

Without the resurrection, the apostle Paul declares, Christian faith would be futile:

(1 Corinthians 15:17).

1 Corinthians 15:17 LSB

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

The empty tomb confirms that the atoning work accomplished on the cross (forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption) was accepted by God the Father, validating Jesus’ claims and opening the way for new life.0

Key Accomplishments and Significance of the Empty Tomb

The empty tomb builds directly on what the cross achieved and adds the triumphant reality of victory:

1. Proof of Bodily Resurrection and Jesus’ Divinity

The cross showed Jesus’ full humanity (he truly died). The empty tomb, combined with his post-resurrection appearances, proves he is the eternal Son of God with power over death.

It fulfills his own predictions and validates his identity as the Messiah and Lord (Romans 1:4 where Thomas declares, “My Lord and my God!”).3

Romans 1:1 LSB

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, having been set apart for the gospel of God,

Romans 1:4 LSB

who was designated as the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

2. Confirmation that Sin Is Forgiven and Justification Is Secured

(Romans 4:25).

Romans 4:25 LSB

He who was delivered over on account of our transgressions, and was raised on account of our justification.

Believers are no longer under condemnation (Romans 8:1).7

Romans 8:1 LSB

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The guilt is gone. We have been pardoned by Christ’s completed work

Nobody can charge us and make it stick. It isn’t that we no longer sin. It is that Christ has paid it and now is our defense attorney

1 John 2:1 LSB

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

One of Satan’s titles is the accuser. When he brings accusations against us before God, Jesus’ steps up and defends us! He is alive and active right now on our behalf.

3. Victory Over Death and the Grave

Death, called “the last enemy,” is defeated (1 Corinthians 15:26).

1 Corinthians 15:26 LSB

The last enemy to be abolished is death.

The empty tomb demonstrates that Jesus “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light” (2 Timothy 1:10).

2 Timothy 1:10 LSB

but now has been manifested by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

He rose again to life and it demonstrates we too have the resurrection as our hope.

It assures believers of their own future resurrection: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

1 Corinthians 15:20 LSB

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

His resurrection “seals the deal”. He has been raised from the dead as the firstfruits.

H. D. M. Spence

Christ, the Firstfruits, hallows the subsequent human harvest. The great ingathering of souls depends on the preceding Firstfruits for consecration and acceptance. Thus do we see in symbol that he was “raised for our justification”

Conc

The Bible does not treat the empty tomb in isolation; it is always connected to the appearances of the risen Jesus (to Mary, the disciples, over 500 people, etc.) and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Together with the cross, it forms the heart of the gospel:

Christ died for sins, was buried, was raised, and now lives to save and intercede for those who come to him by faith.

Today, these aren’t abstract ideas. For those who repented in faith, they are reality in which we live.

Forgiven, free and looking forward to Christ’s return