There are many things that we can live without but hope isn’t one of them. Nothing can plunge us into the depths of despair quicker than losing all sense of hope. Hope gives us a reason to get up in the morning and the ability to keep moving ahead when things get difficult. If you have ever experienced having your hopes dashed then you understand just how the disciples felt. They had poured everything into following Jesus because they thought He was the Messiah, the hope of Israel. They left their jobs and families to be this man’s disciples. Now they are feeling the pain of seeing all their hopes and dreams nailed to a Roman cross. Despite their best efforts of returning to those lives that they had left behind, the pain just would not let go. With the dawning of the first day of the week everything is about to change. The events of this day will not only restore the disciples’ hope but it will leave them changed forever. The events of this day will revolve around an improbable central event that could only have been brought about by God. As you have probably guessed that event was the resurrection of Jesus. I can honestly say that no one saw this coming. God used this event not only to restore the hope of the disciples but to fulfill the hopes of those who preceded them and to give hope for all those who would follow them. The resurrection is the central fact in Christian history. Upon this fact the church is built and our promise of salvation is dependent. Without the resurrection there is no hope. Today we are going to look at what makes this event that gives us hope so significant.
I. Understanding why the resurrection was so unexpected.
A. There is no reason to expect that things are not following the normal progression of events.
1. Since Jesus was crucified on the day before the Sabbath burial preparation would have been hurried and not finalized.
2. Both Jewish and pagan mourners would normally go to the tomb on the third day.
a. They would go to make sure that their relative was really dead.
b. They would go to complete the burial preparations.
c. When one considers the nature of crucifixion there was no reason for any such optimism.
3. The Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday, so the women would have been on their way to the tomb to complete preparations as soon as there was enough light to see.
4. Mark in chapter 16 of his gospel account gives the reason that the women decided to go to the tomb.
a. They intended to finish the final preparations for burial since they did not have the time before the Sabbath.
b. They had with them the necessary spices, oils and perfumes to finish these preparations.
5. There is no expectation seen in the women that the body would not be found in the tomb when they arrived.
B. Nothing could have prepared the women for what they would find when they arrived at the tomb.
1. A violent earthquake takes place before the women arrive as an angel rolls the approximately 4,000 lbs. stone away from the entrance to the tomb.
2. The guards were taken by surprise as events begin to no longer follow the normal order of progression.
3. Scripture does not fill us in on the details of the resurrection since the guards had passed out from fear no one witnessed Jesus actually exiting the tomb.
4. As the women arrive the angel is sitting on the stone as a symbol of God’s spectacular victory.
5. Max Lucado writes, "The stone was moved - not for Jesus - but for the women. Not so Jesus could come out, but so the women could see in." Our God is a god of surprises. About the time we think nothing is going to happen, God surprises us. And it’s generally, a nice surprise. He rolls the stone away so we can see, behold, and rejoice!
C. The improbable event will begin to restore the hope that was lost.
1. The women had more questions than answers as they saw the angel and the empty tomb.
2. The angel quickly calms their fears and explains everything that taken place and invites the women to examine the evidence for themselves.
3. Hope begins to be reborn as the words of the angel fills them with the anticipation of seeing Jesus again.
4. Uncertainty gives way to excitement as the women encounter Jesus alive again.
II. Understanding why the resurrection is so important.
A. It gives undisputable evidence that Jesus is the Son of God.
1. The words spoken by the prophets concerning the Messiah were confirmed by the resurrection.
2. The resurrection confirmed the authority that Jesus said He had.
3. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18—NIV 2011)
B. It establishes the credibility of Scripture.
1. The resurrection of Jesus is clearly taught in both the Old and New Testament.
2. Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. (Psalm 16:10—NIV 2011)
3. If Jesus had not been resurrected the reliability of Scripture would have been destroyed.
C. It gives hope in regard to our own future resurrection.
1. Since Jesus was resurrected we can now have the hope that we will be raised like Him.
2. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16—NIV 2011)
3. The truth is: everything we believe and hope for all rest on the fact of Jesus’ resurrection.
4. 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1 Corinthians 15:12-14—NIV 2011)
D. It gives meaning to the Lord’s Supper.
1. The Lord’s Supper represents Jesus’ body that was tortured for us and His blood that was shed to provide us with the forgiveness of sin.
2. The resurrection proves that everything Jesus said was true so we can believe His promise of salvation.
3. We are reminded that each time we come around the table we are like the disciples that met the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus.
a. We enjoy breaking bread with our living Lord.
b. We get a taste of the eternal fellowship with the Lord that we will one day enjoy.
E. It establishes the authority of the Gospel message.
1. The credibility of the Gospel message rests on the fact that Jesus died and came back to life again.
2. The reality of the resurrection is what sets our message apart from all the others being proclaimed in the world.
3. The hope of the Gospel message rests in the fact that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to work in our own lives.
4. Not only does the resurrection fill us with hope it, it gives our lives purpose.
III. Discovering the hope that the resurrection can give to us.
A. The resurrection brings hope as it enables us to make sense out of life.
1. There are so many things in life that are hard to understand and there are some things that make absolutely no sense.
2. The resurrection proved that there is no area of life that God is not in control of.
3. Regardless of what life may throw at us, God is in control and He is by our side all the way.
4. Max Lucado writes: "Don’t give up. The check may be in the mail. The apology may be in the making. The job contract may be on the desk. God still sends angels. And God still moves stones."
5. We begin making sense out of life when we discover that life is not random, it has purpose and direction.
B. The resurrection brings hope as it enables us to be free from our past.
1. Our greatest enemy is our past. We fear it and often try to hide it but it keeps resurfacing and holds us in its power.
2. When God raised Jesus from dead not only did He defeat the power of death, He defeated the power of sin.
3. This enables God to extend mercy and grace to us. He not only forgives our sins, He forgets them.
4. The only one that is left to beat us up over our past is ourselves.
C. The resurrection brings hope as it enables us to have a bright future.
1. The resurrection gives us the assurance that through Jesus Christ we do not need to worry about our future.
2. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and has gone to prepare a place for us.
3. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3—NIV 2011)
4. Jesus is not a legend. The resurrection proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is real and alive.
Closing:
When Leonardo da Vinci was forty-three years old, the Duke of Milan asked him to paint the dramatic scene of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. Working slowly and giving meticulous care to details, he spent three years on the assignment. He grouped the disciples into threes, two groups on either side of the central figure of Christ. Christ’s arms are outstretched. In his right hand, He holds a cup, painted beautifully with marvelous realism. When the masterpiece was finished, the artist said to a friend, "Observe it and give me your opinion of it!" "It’s wonderful!" exclaimed the friend. "The cup is so real I cannot divert my eyes from it!" Immediately Leonardo took a brush and drew it across the sparkling cup! He exclaimed, "Nothing shall detract from the figure of Christ!"
