Sermon Tone Analysis

*April 16, 2006—Morning Worship*

 

*Easter Sunday*

*Can We Be Certain?*

*Biblical Answers to Bothersome Questions*

*Luke 24:25-27*

 

*Intro:*  Our text today will be found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 24.

According to the Bible, this event takes place on the day of the resurrection.

Jesus, disguising Himself, walks w~/two of His disciples as they make their way to the village of Emmaus.

He acts as if He is unaware of the events that have taken place over the past few days, & His disciples are telling Him the story of, */19 …Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed & word before God & all the people, 20 & how the chief priests & …rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, & crucified Him.

21 But /*[His disciples]*/ were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.

Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

22 …& /*[they said] */certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.

23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.

24 & certain of those who were w~/us went to the tomb & found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."/*

Up until this point, Jesus has been virtually silent, just listening as His disciples recounted the story of His violent death, His unceremonious burial, & the mystery of the disappearance of His body.

We find His reply to these things in…

 

*Luke 24 /25/*/ Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, & slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

*26* Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things & to enter into His glory?" *27* & beginning at Moses & all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself./

 

- In this great Easter text, Jesus chided His disciples for being slow of heart to believe.

- He also explained the importance of His Resurrection & the OT witness about Himself.

- & w~/all the books & films & documentaries out today that dispute the Biblical account, is it possible for us to be certain that these things actually took place?

- Can we be certain that Jesus really died & that He really rose from the dead?

- Can we be certain?

- These are bothersome questions to some, but today we want to see Biblical answers on which we can not only rest our faith, but also arm ourselves to defend our faith.

- & so, today we are only going to ask 2 questions.

- The 1st is…

*1.

How do we know the resurrection really happened?*

- While the Bible is not primarily a history book, it is accurate in all of its references to history.

- & what we are discussing today is historical fact.

& there are many historical reasons to back up our belief.

- So, we know the resurrection really happened…

    *A.

B~/c of the Stone.*

(Matthew 27:59-60; 28:2) */59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 & laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; & he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, & departed…28:2 & behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, & came & rolled back the stone from the door, & sat on it./*

- Matthew’s account only mentions Joseph of Arimathea taking the body & preparing it for burial.

- Matthew only mentions Joseph as rolling a large stone to cover the opening of the tomb.

- John’s account also mentions Nicodemus as helping Joseph w~/this work.

- & so the question down through the years has always been, “Could the stone have been moved by men?”

- The answer to that question is “YES” b~/c men put the stone in place, therefore they could have moved it.

- However, the Bible gives us the actual account of the stone moving.

- This great earthquake was the means by which the angel opened the tomb.

*Matthew 28 /3/*/ His countenance was like lightning, & his clothing as white as snow./

- The angel moved the stone w~/the force of heaven & the power of God & drew attention to the fact that “something supernatural is happening here.”

- The reason for that was, so that no one could say that someone stole away the body of the Lord Jesus.

- & the Jewish leadership wanted to prevent that from happening as well, & so we know the resurrection really happened…

    *B.

B~/c of the Soldiers.*

(Matthew 27:62-66a) */62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests & Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, After three days I will rise.

64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the 3rd day, lest His disciples come by night & steal Him away, & say to the people, He has risen from the dead.

So the last deception will be worse than the first."

65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how." 66a So they went & made the tomb secure…./*

- They surrounded the tomb where Jesus was buried w~/Roman soldiers.

- These were battle hardened soldiers.

Soldiers, who had faced fear & death & stared it down w~/the strength of their courage & the might of their weapons.

- The soldiers’ job was to guard the tomb & guard the tomb they did.

- No one could have gotten the body of Jesus out of the tomb w~/o their knowing it.

- & yet, *Matthew 28 **/4/*/ /says that …/the guards shook for fear of /*[*the angel*]*/, & became like dead men /*[*after they saw him.*]*

- These big & brave soldiers, whose job it was upon pain of death to guard the tomb, were literally shaking in their sandals at the sight of this angel.

- The women who arrived later saw this same angel & had a conversation w~/him.

- & so, you can imagine just how tough these women were – to talk w~/an angel who had literally almost scared a group of battle hardened soldiers to death!

- The Jewish leadership was seeking to secure the tomb of their enemy.

They did it w~/soldiers.

- & yet we know the resurrection really happened…

    *C.

B~/c of the Seal.*

(Matthew 27:66) */66 So they went & made the tomb secure, sealing the stone & setting the guard./*

- The stone was not only impossible to move w~/o making any noise, but it was sealed w~/the signet of Rome.

- A special wax was placed at the joint of the tomb & the stone that covered its entrance.

- The signet seal was then placed in the wax to indicate that it was officially sealed & anyone breaking that seal w~/o authorization could be punished by death.

- I imagine in their zeal to secure the tomb, the Jewish leadership might have placed several seals on the stone.

- & now, feeling that the possibility of someone stealing away the body of Jesus was impossible, the Jewish leadership retired to their homes in apparent victory.

- No one in their right mind would possibly try to take the body of Christ while the guards were there & under punishment of death from Rome.

- If they did, they would have suffered the same agonizing death of crucifixion that Jesus had suffered.

- & so we know that the resurrection really happened b~/c the stone that covered the tomb couldn’t be moved b~/c it was guarded by the soldiers & officially sealed to prevent anyone from tampering w~/it.

- But we also know the resurrection really happened…

    *D.

B~/c of the Sepulcher.*

(Matthew 28:5-6) */5 But the angel answered & said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.

Come, see the place where the Lord lay./*

- Another reason we know the resurrection really happened is b~/c the tomb is empty!

- Now some people will tell you that the women were confused about in which tomb Jesus was buried.

- They’ll tell you that the women went to the wrong tomb & that’s why it was empty.

- But it would have been so easy to identify the right tomb – it’s the only one guarded by soldiers!

It’s the only one anyone is afraid someone’s going to come out alive!

- There is not another religious faith anywhere that can take you to the empty tomb of its god.

- No other god ever died for the people who follow him.

- Only Jesus – God the Son was given in death to conquer death, hell & the grave for all who believe in Him!

- The angel said, */He is not here; for He is risen, as He said./*

Come & see for yourself.

- Come & see the Lord of glory is alive, b~/c He is not here among the dead; He’s alive!

- He kept His promise, */After three days I will rise./*

*[*We used to sing a song “Jesus is alive & well!

Jesus is alive & well!

Tell everyone you see, oh tell them for me, Jesus is alive & well!”*]*

- I’ve said before that when I get excited about something that God’s done or doing in me, all I can do is cry.

- But if I’d been there that day – I believe I might have been able to squeeze out a loud HALLELUJAH!

GLORY TO GOD!

- I don’t know – I was not there – but I just believe those women had a glorious time out in the graveyard that day!

- The tomb was empty then & it’s still empty today!