Four Things The Empty Tomb Tells Us

FOUR THINGS THE EMPTY TOMB TELLS US

Luke 24:1-6; 36-47

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. It was Easter. A Sunday School teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening.

2. Then, wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: "And what do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting out of that tomb alive?" A hand shot up into the air from the rear of the classroom.

3. A little girl leapt out of her chair and shouted out excitedly "I know, I know!" "Good" said the teacher, "Tell us, what were Jesus first words." And Extending her arms high into the air she said: "TA-DA!"

B. TEXT VIDEO: “RESURRECTION WORSHIP INTRO”

24 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?” 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”….41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Luke 24:1-6, 36-39,41-43,46-47.

C. THE TURNING POINT OF HISTORY

1. The day Christ died was the most important day in all of human history. Matthew described how when Jesus was dying on the cross, the sun became dark for three hours, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom, the ground began to rumble with an earthquake, and that the graves of many righteous people around Jerusalem were opened.

2. The Bible relates that the thief on the cross next to Jesus and even the Roman Centurion in charge of the execution became believers in Christ as a result of the miraculous events surrounding his crucifixion.

3. But something much greater than these isolated events was taking place; Jesus was reconciling the human race to God, He being the final sacrifice to take away sin. It was captured in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

D. THESIS

1. In detective shows like Naval Crime Scene Investigation (NCSI) in which the smallest fragments of cloth, droplets of fluid, a hair or an imprint of a shoe can prove the guilt or innocence of persons implicated in a crime.

2. In similar fashion, the empty tomb of Jesus is an unparalleled piece of evidence. It points to an event so startling, so shocking, that no human being should pass through this life without giving it the greatest consideration and thought. This empty tomb of Jesus is like a witness on the witness stand in court. Many theories have been spun to try to explain it, but in the end, only one explanation satisfies all the varying facts.

3. This morning we’re going to look at “Four Things the Empty Tomb Tells Us.” FIRST…

I. WE DON’T HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF DEATH

A. OUR DREADED ENEMY

1. We have many fears in our lives, but undoubtedly the worst is the fear of Death. It’s the great unknown; it can usually only be reached by great suffering – by our physical bodies failing.

2. Many people think of it as a loss of personality or as non-existence. But that’s not true.

3. Millions of people report having Near-Death Experiences, where they died and found they were still aware/conscious after death.