HOPE From An Empty Tomb
Matthew 28:1-20
Years ago there was a valley in New England that was going to be dammed up for a hydro-electric plant. There was a small town in the bottom of the valley, and that town fell into disrepair. Someone asked why? The answer came back "If there is no HOPE in the future, there is no work in the present.”
If you have a personal relationship with Christ there is Hope for the future!
What does the Resurrection mean to you? It does have meaning. It means HOPE. The resurrection of Jesus offers hope to all.
Without hope students are discouraged and marriages are in despair. Hope is essential to life.
When Jesus arose from the grave He planted the only durable rumor of hope amid the widespread despair of a hopeless world.
O, what hope is found for the individual whose faith in Jesus Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ
I. Offers the hope of a pardoned life (Acts 13:36-39)
Do you believe that your sin can be forgiven? Do you believe that there is the possibility that the record of your sin could be canceled, pardoned, or erased clean? That’s what Jesus’ and followed by the Resurrection proclaims to all of us.
Do you have a pardoned life? Do you know that your sins have been forgiven, that they are pardoned? The resurrected Lord makes this a possibility.
A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, "Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?" There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up. "Sin," he said.
You can have a pardoned life through placing your faith in the resurrected Lord.
A. Note the manner of forgiveness.
It is absolutely free. Anyone can have it.
Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by his grace.”
A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma’s back yard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell .
The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch that day, Grandma said, "Sally, let’s wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?" And she whispered to him, "Remember the duck!” So Johnny did the dishes.
Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, "I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally smiled and said, "That’s all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it." Again she whispered, "Remember the duck." Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and his sisters, he couldn’t stand it any longer. He confessed to Grandma that he’d killed the duck. "I know, Johnny," she said, giving him a hug. "I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.”
Don’t let sin make a slave of you come to Jesus today and accept His forgiveness.
B. Note the medium of forgiveness
There is no forgiveness outside of Jesus Christ- “through this man”
C. Note the measure of forgiveness
“justified from all things”
In a dream, Martin Luther found himself being attacked by Satan. The devil unrolled a long scroll containing a list of Luther’s sins, and held it before him. On reaching the end of the scroll Luther asked the devil, "Is that all?" "No," came the reply, and a second scroll was thrust in front of him. Then, after a second came a third. But now the devil had no more. "You’ve forgotten something," Luther exclaimed triumphantly. "Quickly write on each of them, ’The of Jesus Christ God’s son cleanses us from all sins.’"
II. Offers the hope of a peaceful life
The resurrected Lord offers a life of peace. Now I am certain that there are people who will say you don’t know what’s happened this week or what is going to happen this week to me. You don’t know about the things that could cause me a lack of peace. That’s true, but I know this.
There is peace in Jesus Christ. He can give you peace. The resurrection of Christ offers peace. See Matthew 28:10.
The emphasis of the resurrected Lord is one of peace. You can have peace regardless of the situation you are in. Regardless of what is facing you, regardless of what might come, there is peace in the resurrected Lord.
Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God.
Because He lives I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives all fear is gone.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
There was a group of people in the Bible called the Sadducees. Now one of the things that they hold to was the doctrine of the resurrection. That is why they were SAD.....YOU.....SEE.
Give me your most impossible situation..... funds, family, or health. None are as difficult to face as , and Jesus overcame .
It is interesting that the Lord Jesus Christ is called the Prince of Peace. He is not called the Prince of Hope, though that would be appropriate. He is not called the Prince of Love, though that would fit him. He is not called the Prince of Faith, though that would not be out of place. He is called the Prince of Peace.
III. Offers the hope of a Powerful Life.
Eph. 1:19 -20 ; Philippians 3:10
A. Notice the direction of this power (19)
Friend, there is power in the resurrection of the Lord. We have all the power of God who sits on the throne of heaven directed toward the believer.
B. Notice the demonstration of this power (20)
IV. Offers the hope of a purposeful Life
Matthew 28:10,19
The resurrection of Christ gives us a purposeful life.
I have said this before, but I want to say it again. If Jesus Christ is not alive, nothing else really matters. But if Jesus Christ is alive, nothing but that really matters. That’s why the Easter message is for everyone.
Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas. She was the patient of doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. One of his favorite patients was Edith Burns.
One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he came by the waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: “Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly.
Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her pressure. Edith began by saying, "My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?"
Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you believe about Easter?" Beverly said, "Well, it’s all about egg hunts, going to church, and dressing up." Edith kept pressing her about the real meaning of Easter, and finally led her to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Dr. Phillips said, "Beverly, don’t call Edith into the office quite yet. I believe there is another delivery taking place in the waiting room.
After a while Edith was called back in the doctor’s office. Edith sat down and when she took a look at the doctor she said, "Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?" Dr. Phillips said gently, "Edith, I’m the doctor, and you’re the patient." With a heavy heart he said, "Your lab report came back, and it says you have cancer, and Edith, you’re not going to live very long."
Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad? Do you think God makes mistakes? You have just told me I’m going to see my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter forever, and here you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!"
Dr. Phillips thought to himself, "What a magnificent woman this Edith Burns is!" Edith continued to see Dr. Phillips weekly. Christmas came and the office was closed through January 3rd. On the day the office opened, Edith did not show up for her appointment. Later that afternoon, Edith called Dr. Phillips and said she would have to be moving her Easter story to the hospital and said, "Will, I’m very near home, so would you make sure that they put women in here next to me in my room who need to know about Easter."
Well, they did just that and women began to come in and share that room with Edith. Many women were saved. Everybody on that floor from staff to patients were so excited about Edith, that they started calling her Edith Easter; that is everyone except Phyllis Cross, the head nurse. Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith because she was a "religious nut."
She had been a nurse in an army hospital. She had seen it all and heard it all. She was the original G.I. Jane. She had been married three times; she was hard, cold, and did everything by the book.
One morning the two nurses who usually attended to Edith were sick. As a result, Phyllis Cross had to go in and wait on Edith. When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said, "Phyllis, God loves you and I love you, and I have been praying for you."
Phyllis Cross said, "Well, you can quit praying for me, it won’t work. I’m not interested." Edith said,
"Well, I will pray and I have asked God not to let me go home until you come into the family." Phyllis Cross said, "Then you will never die because that will never happen," and curtly walked out of the room.
For the next several days Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and Edith would say, "God loves you Phyllis and I love you, and I’m praying for you." One day Phyllis Cross said she was literally drawn to Edith’s room like a magnet would draw iron. She sat down on the bed and Edith said, "I’m so glad you have come, because God told me that today is your special day."
Phyllis Cross said, "Edith, you have asked everybody here the question, ’Do you believe in Easter?’ but you have never asked me." Edith said, Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait until you asked, and now that you have asked."
Edith Burns took her Bible and shared with Phyllis Cross the Easter Story of the , burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Edith said, "Phyllis, do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and that He wants to live in your heart?" Phyllis Cross said, "Oh I want to believe that with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life." Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed and invited Jesus Christ into her heart.
Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith said, "Do you know what day it is?" Phyllis Cross said, "Why Edith, it’s Good Friday." Edith said, "Oh, no, not for the believer every day is Easter. Happy Easter Phyllis!"
Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis Cross came into work, did some of her duties and then went down to the flower shop and got some Easter lilies because she wanted to go up to see Edith and give her some Easter lilies and wish her a Happy Easter. When she walked into Edith’s room, Edith was in bed. Her big black Bible was on her lap. Her hands were in that Bible. There was a sweet smile on her face.
When Phyllis Cross went to pick up Edith’s hand, she realized Edith was . Her left hand index finger was on John 14:2, "In my Father’s house are many mansions......”
Phyllis Cross took one look at that body, and then lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down here cheeks, said, "Happy Easter, Edith - Happy Easter!" Phyllis Cross left Edith’s body, walked out of the room, and over to a table where two student nurses were sitting. She said, "My name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?"
What happened to Phyllis Cross? She got pardoned, and she got a purpose. And it was all from the Resurrected Lord.
Conclusion:
On Feb. 27, 1991, it was the height of the Desert Storm War. A woman by the name of Ruth Dillow received the worst news that a mom could ever receive. Her son, Clayton Carpenter, Private, First Class, had stepped on a land mine in the Persian Gulf and he was . For the next three days she grieved the loss of her son, and although people tried to comfort her, there just isn’t any comfort that can comfort the grieving mom – no words that can be whispered. Three days after the notification of the of her son, the phone rang. She picked up the phone, and on the other end of the line there was a voice that said, “Mom, it’s me. I’m alive.” She didn’t believe it. She thought it was some kind of cruel joke and as he continued to speak, she recognized his voice. Her son was alive! She said she laughed, cried, she rejoiced – what seemed like a hopeless situation was radically transformed into the greatest day of her life. That’s what news from a graveyard can do!
Today, I’d like you to know that there is still hope from an empty tomb.
