Easter Sunday

Good morning. He is Risen!

What a wonderful statement. Have you ever really thought about what that means to us.

He is Risen!....Wow!

Let’s hear the story this morning.

Luke 24:1–12 NIV

1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

At the Tomb

Can you imagine it?

Can you picture what it was like in your head?

Can you imagine what must have been going through the minds of the disciples that morning?

One of the great challenges of the scriptures is you need to put yourself into the shoes of not only the original readers but sometimes the original characters of the story. I always loved doing this kind of thing when i would read a story.

I can imagine being Luke Skywalker as he fights the forces of evil in the galaxy. I can put myself into the shoes of Frodo as he tries to destroy the one ring in Mount doom. Or i can even remember what it would have been like to be Ralph S. Mouse from my favorite book as a child “The Mouse and the Motor cycle” racing around on his motor cycle.

Now i know this kind of thing doesn’t come easy to everyone. However, i do think that we can all take a moment and wonder what it would have been like to be there that morning. Walking in the garden up to the tomb and seeing the stone rolled back and finding it empty. The fear, the confusion, and even the panic of what has happened to Jesus body. Not knowing what really was going on. We know that they didn’t really fully understand what was happening because of Peter.

Luke 24:12 NIV

12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

He went away wondering. He went away unsure. He went away not knowing that he would see Jesus gain soon and he would learn that all the things that Jesus had been teaching them would become clear because of what had happened. Yet, Peter was confused he didn’t really know what was happening yet.

The Crucifixion

I thought about Peter a lot and what it was like for him that day. Lost in the confusion trying to make sense of everything and I see something similar happening today. It is Easter Sunday. We are gathered here celebrating the resurrection of Jesus but for many of us the only thing we can think about is the cross.

Now don’t get me wrong the cross is important it is absolutely essential. The Cross can’t be removed from this story, but sometimes we let it dominate our vision.

Glorifying the Sacrifice

For us it is easy to glorify the sacrifice that was made by Jesus. Rightfully so. It deserves to be glorified. I should perhaps be clearer on this point. We can connect to the sacrifice better because we like Jesus can experience pain. From the moment we are born we live in a life that is filled with pain, joy, happiness, hardship, and many other experiences. We resonate or connect to stories and experiences that we share though in common.

Give me a show of hands how many of you have experienced pain?

Now give me a show of hands how many of you have experienced the Resurrection from the dead?

Have you ever thought about that. We connect to the cross because we know what it is like to experience pain. Yet, we struggle to connect to the Resurrection because we don’t recognize the restoration of life.

The Pain Jesus endured the hardship he went through is real for us. It is relatable. However, we can’t ever forget that the end of that pain was the resurrection. This week isn’t just about Jesus on the cross it is about the fact the tomb is empty.

The Resurrection is essential this morning for our faith.

1 Corinthians 15:14–15 NIV

14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.

1 Corinthians 15:17 NIV

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

No Resurrection = Useless Faith

When I first read this passage i was kind of shocked at the harshness of it. The idea of telling someone their faith is useless or pointless. Not only that but to say that you are essentially being a liar.

It puts us into a mode of fight. It is a position that if someone challenged us like this we would fight back. However, there is a lot of truth in what Paul is saying.

Without the Resurrection, without Jesus breaking the holds of death the cross loses its meaning. Our faith fails. Sin still regins in us.

It was in this moment that I realized what was hardest to hear when i read this passage. That without the event of Jesus resurrection I am still bound to sin like i was before i found my faith. I don’t want to return to that life. I have found joy in the freedom and new life that is gained in following God.

This is the moment where faith and hope come though.

It is interesting in the moment i was writing this transition to the hope and turning from the darkness God has a funny way of speaking in the moments. I was listening to some music. God gave the right words at the right time. It would be easy to feel downcast after someone says that our faith is pointless. Then the chorus of a song game on that just lifted me out of that moment.

Why should my heart grow weary? Don't be so downcast, O my soul You are in every moment You are my greatest miracle

Because we have Hope this morning!

No matter if you already believe or if you aren’t sure this morning. Let me tell you there is hope and we do not need to be downcast this morning because the hope has arrived the joy has come. The Joy is Risen and we can take heart.

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 NIV

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

He Is Risen

Paul was challenging those who didn’t believe in the resurrection. He bore witness to the fact that Jesus was alive like the other disciples. Who shared it with others and gave testimony. This knowledge is passed down through other witnesses and through the Bible and it is in faith that we believe this morning that the tomb is empty and that he is risen. It is through this faith that we are free from the bonds of sin. That we are made alive in Him.

Romans 5:12–19 NIV

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Sin came to us by one man in Adam. We endured the pain and suffering of death because of sin. Yet, Life also comes to us through one man and we can be restored.

Romans 6:4–11 NIV

4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

We said earlier that we connect to the cross because of the pain that we share with Christ. That we can resonate with it. Yet this morning we can also resonate with the resurrection. When we come to belief and confession of our sins we are buried with Christ and we are born a new creation. This is paid for by the blood of Christ on the cross and comes to fulfillment in the Resurrection. So this morning we celebrate and call you to remember and to confess that Jesus is Lord. To give your life to him. TO follow him. To see that we have all fallen short of God and sin is in the way but when we turn to Christ we can find hope. WE can find Joy. We can find peace. Because he has defeated death and one day we can walk in heaven with him.

All this is possible because the Tomb is Empty!

Let us Pray