Easter Series

An event can be thrust upon you and it takes you by surprise, you never would have predicted it in a million years. Now here it is - staring you in the face. What will you do? You can't stay the same, you can't pretend it didn't happen. You may not know what to do, but this much is certain, you have to do something.

This is the Resurrection. Before the resurrection the disciples think Jesus will be a Messiah of a different sort, strong powerful - vanquishing their enemies. Then He is brutally killed, their heads are spinning, where can we hide they think. Days later, still overcome with grief - there is a knock at the door. One of the women have an unbelievable report. The tomb is empty. How could this happen, first his life is taken from us, not someone robs His grave.

Show video clip of John 20:1-9

John 20:1-9 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

They still didn't get it. The grave wasn't robbed by men, it was robbed by God!

It would not be until later in the day that reports of the risen Lord would appear, that Jesus would personally show Himself

When He reappears they are shattered again, and they have to go back over that week, re remember what happened, it was the week no one expected

Let's take time today to look at how that week has been viewed and reviewed by believers and non-believers alike.

Are you a believer? So certain that all you want to do is worship Jesus, that every day you give Him your best, you witness to others, you're filled with HS power - have you ever made a public declaration of your faith in Jesus! Stand up - show your colors

Lots of talk lately about the Resurrection, is it historical? Recently John Cameron of Titanic fame claims to have located Jesus' tomb.

Don't be surprised, each generation must rediscover the risen Christ

Thanks to John Ortberg - Menlo Park Presbyterian

Essentially, Christianity is not about a new teaching, about ethics or morals. At the core it's about a remarkable event, unpredictable, no one was expecting it, no one even hoped for.

Christianity is all about a risen Lord

Unlike Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and all other world religions, Christianity didn't evolve slowly.

It exploded into life.

The Rabbi Jesus had given his disciples cause to follow Him by his innovative teaching, His mind blowing miracles, but they were no different than any other Messianic group of 2000 years ago.

Historian Harvey Cox says that there were no less than 6 Messiahs in the time around Jesus. All preached a kingdom, all of them are now dead, except for Jesus. If the Messiah you follow dies, then you have two choices, go home - broken and disillusioned, or choose another within the group to follow. Many did this until their particular group was extinguished.

But no one, absolutely no one followed dead Messiahs

Jesus was a radically different kind of Messiah. He refused efforts of the people to crown Him king. He included women and children, even gentiles (Roman soldiers) in His kingdom plan.

Then in the course of a few days, Jesus went from the highest point in his career, the triumphant entry into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday, to dead and buried in a tomb following a painful and disgraceful execution.

Everyone was devastated. Everyone fled. They hid, they wept, their dreams were crushed. They didn't have a clue what was going on. They felt abandoned. Even though Jesus had warned them in advance, their one track minds couldn't grasp the meaning of His words until after...