He is Risen! (2)
Notes
Transcript
I once bought a dog from a blacksmith. As soon as I got him home, he made a bolt for the door.
Good morning
He is Risen!!
Today we celebrate the most significate event in the history of the world. The day our Saviour rose for the grave. The day that the enemy was defeated for ever. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the empty tomb, we now have hope! We serve a great God!
I want to remind everyone that this Friday we are going to have the Gospel singing. Since we didn’t get to have our 5th Sunday meal and sing last time, we are going to have it on Friday. Last month was such a great time of worship and fellowship. I encourage you if you are able, come and worship our Risen King and fellowship with His children.
Today we are going to be in Luke 24:1-10.
We are going to look at the empty tomb and how the ladies reacted to the news that Jesus was not there.
Please stand as we prepare to hear God’s Word.
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,
Pray
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your holy Word
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory
I pray that you be glorified in this message and that I say nothing that is mine. Soften our hearts and open our ears this morning to your word and help us apply it to our lives. We love you father, in your Son’s name I pray. Amen
Just like our calendar, the Jewish calendar has Sunday as the first day of the week. Luke tells us that it was Sunday as these women get up early in the morning to go and finish what they were not able to finish on Friday. They are taking spices to put on Jesus’ body. The Jews did not embalm their dead, even though they spent 400 years in Egypt. They used fragrant spices and oils to overwhelm the odor from the decaying body. After the decomposition is done, all that is left is bones. They would go in after about a year or so and collect the bones and put them in a stone box called an ossuary. They would then be able to reuse the tomb.
In Matthew’s account of the empty tomb, he tells us that the women wonder how they are going to get into the tomb since the stone was there. They didn’t know how or even if they would be able to get into the tomb. That did not stop them from going. This tells us about their dedication and devotion to Jesus.
We also know that they did not know that the Roman guards are at the tomb. Matthew 27 tell us that on the next day, that would be Saturday, the day of rest!! The chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate and asked him to guard the tomb. These highly religious rulers broke their own rules on the Sabbath Day! They truly hated Jesus. These soldier were sent there when the ladies and disciples were not there. They had no idea that they were sent to guard the tomb. That would have been a big surprise!! Not as big as the surprise that waited for them!!
They finally get to the tomb and to their amazement, the stone has been rolled away. That is miracle number one! They were worrying about that big stone that was standing between them and Jesus’ body, and they didn’t even need to. That is just like us today. We worry about things that we should not worry about. I remember reading once a report that said I think it was around 90% of what we worry about never happens. That is a lot of wasted time and added stress!
If I was there on that day, I don’t know if I would have gone any farther! Who knows who is in that tomb! It could have been the religious leaders waiting to get Jesus’ followers as they come back to tend to His body. There could have been tomb robbers in there and they might have weapons. See, can worry about needless things too!
Matthew tells us that there was an earthquake and an angel rolled the stone away. He said that the guards fainted with fear. They probably ran away as soon as they came to. They probably just missed each other.
They go into the tomb and see that it is empty!! Imagine how they must have felt at this point. They stood there and watched Jesus be crucified and die. Then they have to rush around and try to get His body ready for burial and they run out of time. It is now the Sabbath and they can do nothing but begin the mourning of Jesus. Now they are ready to finish the burial process and they got up super early to get to the tomb at first light and now there is no body!! Someone stole Jesus. This is what Mary thought. Luke tells us that in Luke 20. While I was studying for this I laughed when I thought about this. Here is Mary, a follower of Jesus. Jesus healed her of seven demons. She followed Him for 3 years and saw the miracles that He did and listened to His teachings. After all that, someone stole the body of the Son of God!! I don’t know that just made me laugh. It is funny to me being 2000 years on this side of the resurrection.
While they were curious about the body missing, suddenly two men appeared beside them in clothes whiter than all the bleach in the world could get clothes. These men were angels. John tells us that in his account. That they were standing on either side of where Jesus’ body had been laid. This is a picture of the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. The ark has two angels one on either side of the mercy seat. The mercy seat was the place where only the high priest was allowed to go on day a year. Now since the Lamb of God has been sacrificed, since Jesus gave His life, the curtain to the Holy of Holies was torn in two signifying that we no longer need a high priest. We have direct access to the Father. God is showing this by having this image of the mercy seat in the tomb. The two angels were on either side of where Jesus was laid. There would have been some of Jesus’ blood on that spot. The angels were standing on either side of where the Lambs blood was!!
Luke tells us that the women were afraid when they saw the angels. This is the common response people have in the Bible when they see an angel. They must have been something to see!! I love what the angel said. “Why do you seek the living among the dead!!” Jesus told them at least 3 times that He was going to be handed over to be killed and would rise on the third day. None of the followers of Jesus remembered any of those words!! None of them should have been surprised when the found out that His body was not there. Next the angels told them that He is risen! The greatest news ever!! That morning for the first time in history, when someone said that the sun rose, it had a special meaning! It is because He rose, that hearts are changed and we can be made new.
The angels next remind them about what Jesus had told them. They reminded them that this was all a part of the plan. No one took Jesus and killed Him. He went with them and He gave His life. All He had to do was say the word no, and everything would have stopped. Remember His prayer in the Garden, if there is any other way. Not My will but Yours be done. He was obedient to death to what the Father’s will was. He didn’t keep it a secret either, He told His followers multiple times that this was going to happen. Then they remembered! They just needed a little help with the remembering.
I want us to focus on what they did with this information! They went and told! I can only imagine the excitement that they must of had. They went from total despair and devastation to hope and joy! They had to tell the others. They couldn’t keep this to themselves. That sounds familiar. That should be all believers, that should be us. We have the greatest news that there has ever been! We have to go and tell others about our King. God sent His Son to come to earth and live and walk with us, to be crucified and on the third day, rise! That news is so great that we should be busting at the seams to tell people about Him. Jesus was obedient to death, all we have to be is obedient in telling. Going and making disciples. As hard as our part is, it was nothing compared to what Jesus had to do! I am glad that He took my punishment. I can’t imagine what the full wrath of God will be like and I am glad that I will never have to experience it.
Look at what Malachi says about those who speak about the Lord. Malachi 3:16-18
16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
If we are truly His, we will speak about Him, we will tell others. It is so important that we tell others about Jesus. God could have chosen any way to reveal His Son to the World. He chose to use His children to do it.
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
If we do not tell them, then how can we expect them to believe! They must hear before they can have faith.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
What would have happened if those women would have just gone home and not told anyone? God probably would have had the rocks tell them about His resurrection!
Us as His children must go and tell the world! I think we can all agree that we are getting very close to seeing Jesus in the eastern sky! We had better be busy about our Father’s business.
We celebrate the empty tomb on this resurrection Sunday, but that is not the whole story of His resurrection. Where is He now?
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father! He sits on the seat that has the highest authority. He is there now interceding for us to God. He is pleading our case. He is not absent doing nothing, He is busy refuting the claims of the enemy, He is our High Priest. He is working, so we should be also.
The Bible has several examples of people raising from the dead. Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, Dorcus. There is one huge difference between theirs and Jesus’ resurrection. They all died again! Jesus is alive and will never die. God reveal that He is all powerful by raising Jesus forever and seating Him at His right hand.
Jesus is alive!
Think back to the devotion and dedication that these women showed. They had no idea how they would get into the tomb, but that didn’t stop them. I believe that if that stone was still there, they would have tried to move it. Are we letting things stop us from having this same devotion and dedication? God didn’t say figure it out and then go. He said go. He will work out the details.
Are you? The Bible says that we are dead outside of Christ!
It is when we are in Christ, that we are given life. If you are a believer in Jesus, are you living for Him?
Are you picking up you cross daily and following Him?
Are you crucifying your flesh and living a surrendered life?
Are you being obedient to the commands that Jesus gave us?
Are you loving the way that He loved?
We can never repay Jesus for what He has done for us.
Praise God that we do not have to.
Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commands. Are you?
Jesus when asked what the greatest command was, He quoted the Shema. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, and might.
Are you loving Him that way?
We are running out of time to make a difference in this world.
No one knows the time or day that He will return. What are you doing with what Jesus has given to you?
Are you living a life that shows the world a risen King?
We should be so different that the world calls us Jesus freaks! They will say that as a put down, but it will be a compliment!
How are you different that the world?
This week, I would like for all of us to sit down and think about how we are different in action to the world.
If the list is short, even if it is long, we all have work to do!
If they don’t hear about Jesus, they can never have faith!
If you have never repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus, today you can. Today you heard the truth that Jesus died and rose on the third day. He is seated at the right hand of the Father. Is He calling you today? If He is, then don’t ignore Him. All you have to do is repent and believe. You can do that right there in that pew. You do not have to walk down in front of everyone. We just ask that you let us know so we can celebrate with you.
Don’t be caught without any lamp oil when the Groom returns!
Let’s pray
