On The Third Day

The resurrection story is captured in three words, "He is risen". Christianity rises or falls on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, our faith is a colossal fraud, it's a masterful hoax. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, the songs that we sing and the sermons that we preach are delusional. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, our cathedrals and churches of worship are monuments to a corpse and have no significance. From the word of God today, I'm going to show you absolute Bible proof that Jesus Christ rose from the dead just like He said.

This is the truth of the resurrection. The best news the world has ever heard came out of a cemetery. That good news was, "He is risen". Say it with me, "He is risen". Say it again. "He is risen".

Let's read the story in Luke 24:1-8. It's so important. "Now on the first day of the week very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb and bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen. Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee saying, the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' And they remembered His words". Say that verse again. "And they remembered His words". That's what we're going to do today.

Father, thank You for Your Word that is so clear about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We come today to glorify and to honor the Son of God, Who died and gave His life for us and for all who will receive Him. Now bless this audience across America and around the world as they read the Word You have given me for Your people today. In Jesus' Name, we pray and ask it in faith believing and expecting. And all of God's children said, "Amen".

Here's the resurrection story. One fateful night, just over 2,000 years ago, following the Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus of Nazareth was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane just outside the Eastern Walls of the City of Jerusalem. His disciples slept as great drops of crimson blood began to fall down His face. Why? Because your sins and my sins were already being placed upon His shoulders as the Lamb of God. Feeling what He had never felt before, He looked into the face of God, and He said, "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from Me". God gave Him an express message back from Heaven and said, "It's not possible. We planned this in Genesis, and now it's time for You to go to the cross." Jesus said, "Nevertheless, not My will but Thy Will be done".

You will never reach your divine destiny until you surrender your will to the Will of God. His destiny was the cross. The Bible says He was slain from the foundations of the earth. He went to His disciples, who were sleeping, and he said, "Could you not watch with Me for one hour"? Now there are some that are saying that means three hours. But let's just say it means one hour. How many times have you been to a prayer meeting that lasted one hour and there were only a handful of people there?

If I announced we were just going to have a one-hour prayer service tonight, there would be a lot of empty pews here. But I assure you, Jesus established early on in His ministry that prayer is the cornerstone of Christianity. And if you do not know how to pray and do not pray, you will always be a weak and anemic Christian with no power, no fruit, and no progress. When you pray, you pray in the authority of Jesus' Name, because He is the only One Who died on the cross and gave you that power.

The church was sleeping in history's most dangerous hour. Suddenly, through the olive trees, you could see the flaming torches of 500 Roman soldiers coming from the Antonian Fortress. They surrounded the Lord of glory and said, "We seek Jesus of Nazareth". Now get that picture. Rome, with all of its intelligence and all of its snitches, which I assure you they had in plentiful supply, could not identify Jesus. When Jesus identified Himself, He said, "I am He". The Bible says, "They fell on the ground like dead men". Why? Because Jesus said, "no one is going to take my life: I lay it down. I do it when I am ready". The cross could not conquer Him. The grave could not contain Him. Satan could not defeat Him. Why? Because He was and He remains the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He's the Conqueror of death, hell and the grave. Give Him praise for that in Jesus Name!