Emptiness Full Of Promises Series

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This Easter sermon ‘Emptiness full of promises’ brings out three great promise of the empty grave of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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INTRODUCTION:

We often come across people who are fast to promise but not serious in keeping their promises. We watch TV and read newspapers where the advertisements promise many benefits of a product. Eventually when we do the purchase, we understand a majority of their promises are blown out of proportion. The truth of the matter is that the world is full of empty promises. God never makes a promise that cannot be fulfilled. If God has promised you something it is yes and amen, it will be fulfilled. On the first Easter Jesus emptied many things he was contained in, yet this emptiness is full of promises.

This morning we are going to take a look at the first Easter see some of the promises of Easter.

On Thursday night before Easter Jesus was arrested by the Jewish chief priests and by early Friday morning he was handed over to Pilate for trial. Pilate the Roman official not finding any basis for a charge against Jesus handed him over to Herod, the King of the Jews. Herod too finding no fault in Jesus handed him over back to Pilate. Finally going by mob pressure Pilate sentenced the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus was led outside the city all the way to Golgotha to the place called Skull and crucified on a cross in-between two thieves. Jesus, the son of God died on the cross and was eventually buried in a tomb.

Luke 15:46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

Matthew 27:62-66 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Saturday being Sabbath no work could be done on the tomb. On Sunday early morning, dawn, even before the sunrise a few of Jesus followers went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. Mark 16:1-2 %1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb.

They have been walking for sometime now. The conversation is subdued. The task before them is a sad one; they are going to anoint the body of Jesus. As they walk out of the city they come to the top of a rise in the path and they all stop. Motionless and quiet, they stare off in the distance.

As you look with them, just outside the city stands a gruesome reminder of the events of just a few days ago. Do you see it? Over there, silhouetted by the glow of the pink sky, on top of the hill there are three crosses. Yesterday was the Sabbath, so nobody had yet removed them. So, there they stand; an empty reminder of the horror of Friday. I want you to see the one that is in the middle, that’s where Jesus was crucified.

Let’s take a closer look at this cross. The cross is baked in blood from top to bottom by the previous day’s sun. The top bloodstains are from the crown of thorns that was crushed into Jesus’ skull. The stains on the ends of the crossbar are from the nails that were driven into his hands. The main beam was soaked in blood from his back – blood that was shed when the Roman soldiers flogged him. It also had stains from the blood that burst from his side when another Roman soldier ran a spear through his side to see if he was dead. Yes, Jesus died on that cross. The Roman soldiers tested and confirmed it. The Jews knew Jesus died. History says Jesus died. The Bible says Jesus died. Jesus died and was buried in the tomb on the very same day of his death. The cross was standing empty now.