Our Resurrected King

Bad things happen. And last week we found out that bag things even happen to Jesus. Our King was crucified.

When Jesus was on the cross the sun refused to shine. And since he’s been dead, even though the day’s come the light has lost its luster. Mary has watched as her oldest Child was betrayed, beaten, mocked and murdered by a blood thirsty mob. The disciples must face each other knowing that they all left Jesus in his darkest moment. John, he had to witness his Lord and teacher be misrepresented in trial in a corrupt state court and sentenced to death for a crime Jesus didn’t commit. All in all, these followers of Jesus, who had set their hope on Jesus are now without their Jesus. He is gone. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Why did this happen? How did this happen? There is a great misery in the heart of Israel. History has been interrupted. The cosmos has been disrupted. The resistance has been squashed. Liberation has been put on hiatus and freedom is now distant reality. Everything is lost. Jesus the healer of the sick couldn’t heal his own wounds. Can you imagine the pain of those people closest to Jesus? Yes, you can. Because you’ve been there before. You might be there now. In that place of hopelessness. That place of pain caused by the failure of things to go as planned. You planned of forever, but then they died. You planned on forever but then divorce. You planned on being out of debt but then car problems happened. You planned on finishing school but now you must put your kids through school. You planned on peace of mind but then trauma happened.

On Sunday they sang “Hosanna” on Friday the said “crucify Him.”

On Sunday received Him as King David on Friday they put a crown of thorns on His head.

On Sunday they placed their cloths on the ground for Jesus on Friday they ripped the clothes off of Jesus.

On Sunday they cried “save now” on Friday the said “free Barabbas and kill Jesus.”

On Sunday the marched Jesus from the Mt. of Olives to Jerusalem of Friday the marched Him from Jerusalem to Golgotha.

On Sunday they worshiped Him with palm branches on Friday they hung Him on a cross.

On Sunday Jesus’ life was looking up on Friday His life was taken.

1. Removes Obstacles

The stone was rolled away. Let me tell you a little bit about the stone. The type of stone that was put in front of Jesus tomb could range between 4-6 feet in circumference, weighing between 1-2 tons. It would have taken two men to roll the stone into place. But, placing the stone was not the issue, rolling it away was. The stone was rolled into a groove about 1 foot deep and would be sandwiched in by another wall. So to roll it way would require hand grips on the outside only, plus the additional strength of more men to get it out the groove in the first place. Then to add insult to injury they sealed the stone on the tomb with a Roman seal, which involved ropes, knots, and wax. Nothing gets in. Nothing gets out. This is where the Power of God comes into play. With no help God sent an angel to get him out. (Rise and Shine Jesus) I don’t know if he took his finger and pointed. I don’t know if he took his hand and waved. I don’t know if he spoke a word. I don’t know if he just thought and it rolled away. What I do know is that he removed the obstacle that man had placed in the way. There it is, that’s the word. There was an obstacle, a stone in the way. And Jesus didn’t let it get in his way.

The stone’s what was keeping him away…Death from life

…isolation from his family

…cross from his crown

…past from his future

…judgment from justification

…oppression from liberation

…sin from salvation

I wasn’t even mad when they put the stone there in the first place. Why? Because I’m a bible reader. I know that large stones don’t work on the people of God.

2. Keeps His Word

The resurrection of Jesus is not a spontaneous event. It was not a sporadic miracle that God so happened to perform in the moment from invoked petition. The resurrection was always apart of the plan because death could never have the final say. This plan is disclosed by Jesus’s own words that, “I must go to Jerusalem...” . The planned resurrection is also the validation that Jesus is the divine Son who keeps His word.

So they get there and the find that the tomb has been open. As they enter in the tomb they notice something aint right. Something is mission. Jesus’ body, its gone. Jesus is not there. Now as far as they know somebody has the body because they got there looking for a dead Jesus. And its this reason why the angels had to address them with the question, “why are you looking for the living among the dead?” The angels are surprised. They are asking a real question and they don’t understand. The angels heard what Jesus said to them, and so they are asking, “why are you here? This tomb is vacant because Jesus aint using it anymore.” Did you hear what I Just said. See this thing of a resurrected savior is what sets Christianity, which is a relationship with Jesus his people, apart from the religions of the world. It’s the vacancy of the tomb that sets us apart. Everybody has a holy book, everybody has moral code and ethics, everybody has a leader, everybody has philosophy and ideology, everybody has a worldview, but only the Church has a Resurrected Savior.

Abraham’s…Moses’…Zoroaster’s…Maccabee’s…Nero’s…Buddah’s…Confucious’… Mohammad’s…Adolph Hitler…Every single Pope’s…Joseph Smith’s…Charles Russell…Mary Baker Eddie…Elijah Muhammad’s…Jim Jones(kool aid)…David Koresh

Now let me stop here to help somebody. At times we wonder why our situation is not changing or we wonder why God isn’t fixing it. Well maybe we need to stop looking where God was and try and figure out where he is taking you.

3. Meets us Where we Are

I’m so glad that Jesus meets us where we are. Because not everyone meets Jesus in church on Sunday. Some of us met Jesus in some strange places in life. (Elaborate) Even though this was the case Jesus met you where you were.

The women are lost and confused and scared. The texts says so. So, we have to consider their human reaction to the circumstances.

Rejoice, (He’s alive)

Worship

Go

4. Restores Us

My brothers? Who is this?

Peter…John....James…Matthew…Thomas…Nathaniel (Nazareth)…Bartholomew…They all left him. But he says “Go get em, I still have use for them.”