Series -- Pursuing Victory
Message #2: "Capturing the Meaning of Easter"
-- How An Empty Tomb Can Fill Our Lives
Mt.28:5-6 -- "The angel said to the women, ’Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.’"
There’s nothing wrong with celebrating the fresh beginning Spring affords, nothing wrong with having fun hunting hidden colored eggs. But Easter means more than just a change of seasons.
The real meaning wrapped up in Easter is found in what Jesus did and what He promises us.
WHAT EASTER REALLY MEANS...
1) JESUS DOES WHAT HE SAYS HE’LL DO.
Mt.28:6 - "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said."
Jn.2:22 - "So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this; and they believed...the word which Jesus had spoken."
<>How We Know He Did It...
a) He Clearly Was Dead.
Jn.19:33 - "...when (the soldiers) saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs, but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water."
The coroner of the day, the centurion who was assigned a detail of men to guarantee that the three men hanging on crosses that die did die as their sentences demanded, twice signed off on the fact that Jesus was, officially, dead. Once, when Pilate wondered if Jesus was really already dead when Joseph of Arimathea came and asked for Jesus’ body, and the second time when he actually authorized Joseph of Arimathea to take the body away from Mount Calvary. If Jesus were not dead, the centurion, witness to many crucifixions and an "expert" on if someone was really dead, would have been killed for his wrong information.
The soldiers, coming around to break the legs of those who were on the cross so that the victims would no longer be able to lift themselves and gasp for air, determined that Jesus was already dead, so they didn’t need to break His legs.
Just to be sure, or perhaps out of spite, however, one of the soldiers plunged a spear/sword up into Jesus’ chest cavity, puncturing His heart.
The fact that blood AND water (the clear fluid in the pericardial sac around Jesus’ heart) came gushing out is significant, because the clear fluid would only be present in the pericardium IF the person had already died.
So, nope. No "swoon theory" possible. Jesus really died.
Oh, by the way, to believe that Jesus didn’t really die but emerged later, you would have to believe some pretty bizarre stuff:
--You’d have to believe that a man who hadn’t eaten since Thursday evening, hadn’t had anything to drink since Friday morning, and who hadn’t BREATHED since Friday evening (100 pounds of spices had been stuffed into his body cavities and a tight linen cloth had been wrapped around his head), who had his muscles torn away by virtue of the whipping from a cat of nine tails, so that he was so weak he fell beneath the load of merely a crossbeam and had to have Simon of Cyrene carry His cross the rest of the way to Calvary, who had His knee knocked out of joint by the soldiers, and who had no blood left in His body after bleeding for hours and then, in a final act of vengeance had the remainder of His blood poured out by a spear in His side, SOMEHOW managed to resuscitate in a cold and clammy tomb, roll away a stone that normally took a strong man with the advantage of rolling it downhill, roll it away from the inside of the tomb where He would have had almost no leverage, then beat up at least ten, perhaps as many as thirty armed Roman soldiers, then run away and appear to His disciples as a strong, fully-healed and confident victor.
My friend, it actually takes more faith to believe
THAT theory than it does to believe the claims of Scripture, that Jesus really rose from the dead, vanishing from the tomb in the same manner as He re-appeared in the upper room later that evening, not at all limited by the presence of walls.
b) He Was Placed In Joseph’s Tomb.
*Mt.27:59-60 - "And Joseph took (Jesus’) body...and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away."
The "wrong tomb" theory is laughable.
-->The ladies who arrived at the tomb on Sunday morning had been there around 6pm on Friday evening, too short a time to "forget" where the tomb was.
-->The guards’ lives were at stake if anything happened to the body inside the tomb they were to guard. Don’t you think they would have checked to make sure they were at the right tomb before they placed the Roman Empire’s official "seal" on the tomb?
-->Joseph of Arimathea owned the tomb. Joseph of Arimathea had personally hand-hewn the tomb out of the side of a cliff. That feat would have taken him at least weeks if not months of every day hard labor.
-->And, Joseph of Arimathea had personally laid Jesus in Joseph’s own tomb on Friday night. Don’t you think Joseph knew where his own tomb was?
-->And, to believe this wacky "wrong tomb" theory, you would have to believe that the angel of the Lord also was in error and went to the wrong tomb. However, what he told the ladies who arrived was NOT, "He is not here...he’s over there!," pointing to the correct tomb. Instead, what he told them was, "He is not here, he is RISEN!"
c) No One Stole the Body.
Mt.28:12-13 - "...the (chief priests) gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, ’You are to say, ’His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.’"
To believe this, we must examine WHO would have stolen Jesus’ body...
-->The soldiers? Why would they have wanted to in the first place? They already had taken the only possession Jesus had, His robe. Plus, do you really think they would risk their own lives for the sake of stealing a dead Jewish man’s body? Ludicrous. Unthinkable.
-->The disciples? These cowards of the county weren’t brave enough to show up at the cross, one of them had already denied the Lord, and Thomas would, on Sunday morning, express his own doubts as to the veracity of Jesus’ resurrection. Don’t you think that somewhere along the way, in the years that followed, when every one of these men died violent deaths as a result of their commitment to the Lord and refusal to back away from their allegiance to Jesus...don’t you think at least one of them would have "confessed" to having been part of a body-snatching conspiracy in order to save his own life, for the sake of his children, his wife, etc.?
-->The religious leaders? Preposterous. If they had stolen Jesus’ body they could have shut down Christianity forever by merely producing the body, destroying the idea of Jesus’ resurrection entirely.
d) But He Definitely Rose Again.
Mt.28:5-6 -- "The angel said to the women, ’Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.’"
The only plausible, logical conclusion is simple. If Jesus really did die, no one stole the body, and the resurrection account occurred at the right tomb, there is no other explanation other than HE DID IT!
However, there are two other additional proofs of His resurrection that we need to remember...
e) Hundreds Saw Him Alive.
1Cor.15:5-6 - "...He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time¡"
In a courtroom, a case can be settled on the testimony of only ONE eye-witness. No testimony carries more weight than an eye-witness.
In Jesus’ case there were at least 500 eye-witnesses to the fact that He was alive after He had died.
f) The Disciples Became Bold.
Ac.4:19-20 - "But Peter and John answered, ’we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.’"
Again, the cowards of the county became so bold as to speak the gospel even at risk of their lives, to stand in front of thousands and publicly declare their allegiance to Jeus.
There has to be some explanation for their change in behavior from Friday’s fiasco of leaving Jesus in the time of His need...and there is: Jesus rose again, and the disciples saw Him, which turned them from the cowards of the county into bold believers.
One of the meanings of Easter is that Jesus always does what He says He’ll do, so it’s important for us to look at some of the things Jesus promises US as believers today...
What Else Jesus Promises Believers...
a) Forgiveness and a Fresh Start.
1Jn.1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
b) Peace Amid Chaos.
Mt.11:28,30 - "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest...For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
c) Purpose and Joy.
Jn.15:11 - "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you..."
d) Eternal Life With Him.
Rom.6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
2) JESUS IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS.
Jn.11:25 - "Jesus said to her, ’I am the resurrection and the life;’"
Jn.14:6 - "Jesus said to her, ’I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’"
a) He Is More Than Merely a Good Man.
Mk.10:18 - "And Jesus said to Him, ’Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.’"
Lk.22:70 - "And (the Sanhedrin) said, ’Are You the Son of God, then?’ And He said, ’Yes, I am.’"
Jesus could not be a "good man" if He lied, could He?
And yet Jesus clearly claimed to be the only way to the Father. He claimed to be one with the Father. He claimed to have the authority to forgive sins. He claimed that He existed before Abraham.
If He isn’t the only way to the Father, He clearly is not a good man. If He IS the only way to the Father, He’s clearly more than just a "good man."
b) He Is More Than Merely a Prophet Or Teacher.
Jn.1:14 - "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,...as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Ph.2:8 - "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
c) He Is More Than Merely a Miracle Worker.
Mt.9:6-7 - "’So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ then He said to the paralytic, ’Get up, pick up your bed, and go home.’ And he got up and went home."
3) JESUS’ POWER IS GREATER THAN ANY OBSTACLE.
1Cor.15:55-56 - "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ...thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ph.4:13 - "for I can do all things through Christ, Who is my strength."
If Jesus handled death, the greatest obstacle of all, I can trust that His power is greater than...
-->Any financial problems I might incur.
-->Any marital problems I might incur.
-->Any parental difficulties I might incur.
-->Any relationship issues I might have to deal with.
-->Any sin I’ve ever committed.
4) LIFE AFTER DEATH IS REAL.
Jn.11:25 - "Jesus said to her, ’I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.’"
Rom.6:6 - "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection."
Jesus was the "first fruit" of the resurrection. What does "first fruit" tell you? Well, it at least tells us there will be more fruit to follow...and that’s you and me. We will be resurrected also, when He returns for us, with the trumpet of God and the voice of the Archangel, the dead in Christ shall rise!
That means I can live boldy, confidently, knowing that my future is secure, my home is already prepared, my Lord is present with me, and one day He’s coming back to bring me to Him.
The apostle Paul’s life goal, as recorded in Philippians 3:10... that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
BRINGING IT HOME...
Questions to ask myself:
>Have I accepted Jesus’ gift of forgiveness?
>Am I trusting and enjoying Jesus’ promises?
>Does my life give evidence of resurrection power?
What does Easter mean? ...
-->Because the tomb is empty, my life can be full!
