ALLELUIA! HERE THE GOOD NEWS! JESUS CHRIST HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD JUST AS HE SAID HE WOULD! SIN IS DEFEATED AND DEATH HAS BEEN CONQUERED. THE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST ON EARTH CAN NOW BE SUMMARIZED INTO ONE WORD – VICTORY!
THE DEATH OF JESUS ON THE CROSS WAS, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, A VICTORIOUS TRIUMPH THAT MADE A PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF THE EVIL AUTHORITIES AND PRINCIPALITIES. IT WAS A CRUSHING, HUMILIATING EMBARRASSMENT TO ALL THAT WAS EVIL.
COLOSSIANS 2:13-15, “YOU WERE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOUR SINS AND BECAUSE YOUR SINFUL NATURE WAS NOT YET CUT AWAY. THEN GOD MADE YOU ALIVE WITH CHRIST, FOR HE FORGAVE ALL OUR SINS.
HE CANCELED THE RECORD OF THE CHARGES AGAINST US AND TOOK IT AWAY BY NAILING IT TO THE CROSS. IN THIS WAY, HE DISARMED THE SPIRITUAL RULERS AND AUTHORITIES. HE SHAMED THEM PUBLICLY BY HIS VICTORY OVER THEM ON THE CROSS.”
THE DEATH OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS WAS A SACRIFICE. JESUS CHRIST OFFERED, ONCE AND FOR ALL, THE ONE PERFECT SACRIFICE FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD. NO OTHER SATISFACTION FOR SIN IS NECESSARY; NONE OTHER CAN ATONE.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:18, “AND ALL OF THIS IS A GIFT FROM GOD, WHO BROUGHT US BACK TO HIMSELF THROUGH CHRIST. THE GOOD NEWS FOR US IS THAT JESUS CHRIST WON THE VICTORY OVER SATAN BY PAYING SIN’S PENALTY ON THE CROSS.
HE PROVED HIS VICTORY THROUGH THE RESURRECTION. THIS IS WHY WE CELEBRATE TODAY. THIS IS WHY WE FIND JOY TODAY. DEATH COULD NOT KEEP HIM IN THE GRAVE! ACTS 2:24, “BUT GOD RELEASED HIM FROM THE HORRORS OF DEATH AND RAISED HIM BACK TO LIFE, FOR DEATH COULD NOT KEEP HIM IN ITS GRIP.”
DEATH COULD NOT HOLD HIM BACK AND HAD NO AUTHORITY OVER JESUS. DEATH, THEREFORE, LOST ITS “STING.” ISAIAH FORETOLD THIS IN 25:7-8, ‘THERE HE WILL REMOVE THE CLOUD OF GLOOM, THE SHADOW OF DEATH THAT HANGS OVER THE EARTH. HE WILL SWALLOW UP DEATH FOREVER!” THEN WE HAVE THIS PROMISE RE-AFFIRMED TO US IN 1 CORINTHIANS 15: 55, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY. ‘O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?’”
WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN SO MUCH. WE HAVE BENEFITED GREATLY BECAUSE OF ALL THAT CHRIST HAS ENDURED AND SACRIFICED. WHAT THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST OFFERS TO US IS: RECONCILIATION, JUSTIFICATION, REDEMPTION, PROPITIATION, ETERNAL LIFE.
THE RESULTS OF WHAT JESUS DID FOR US ON THE CROSS OFFERS RECONCILIATION. WHEN JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS, HE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO BE FULLY RESTORED AND BROUGHT BACK INTO A PROPER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BY FAITH IN CHRIST.
COLOSSIANS 1:22, “YET NOW HE HAS RECONCILED YOU TO HIMSELF THROUGH THE DEATH OF CHRIST IN HIS PHYSICAL BODY. AS A RESULT, HE HAS BROUGHT YOU INTO HIS OWN PRESENCE, AND YOU ARE HOLY AND BLAMELESS AS YOU STAND BEFORE HIM WITHOUT A SINGLE FAULT.” WE ARE NOW WELCOMED INTO A LOVING, PERSONAL, AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AS OUR FATHER.
THE INVITATION FOR THIS RELATIONSHIP COMES IN THE WORDS OF THE ANGELS IN VERSE 6, “COME AND SEE THE PLACE WHERE HE LAY.” THE EMPTY TOMB IS THE ONLY PROOF WE WILL EVER NEED THAT JESUS WAS RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD AND IS ALIVE.
THE FIRST INSTRUCTION OF EASTER IS TO“COME AND SEE” IS A CALL TO ACTIVATE OUR FAITH AND TO ACCEPT JESUS FOR OURSELVES. THE ANGELS BID US TO BELIEVE WHAT MAY, AT FIRST, APPEAR TO BE BEYOND BELIEF AND TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. WE REMEMBER THE PROMISE OF JESUS AND CONFRONT THE EMPTY TOMB AND BELIEVE JESUS IS BOTH REAL AND ALIVE!
THINK ABOUT IT: THE STONE WAS NOT ROLLED AWAY TO LET JESUS OUT. THE STONE WAS ROLLED AWAY TO ALLOW US TO COME IN TO ENCOUNTER JESUS THAT WE MAY DIE TO SIN AND BE RAISED OUT OF OUR OWN TOMB OF DEATH INTO ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST.
THE SECOND INSTRUCTION OF EASTER IS REALIZING THAT THE ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS NOW GOES FROM BEING TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE TO BEING TOO GOOD TO KEEP TO OURSELVES. OUR FAITH IN JESUS IS NOT TO BE HOARDED, BUT HERALDED! THE ANGELS SAY IN VERSE 7, “GO QUICKLY AND TELL HIS DISCIPLES.” WE CANNOT KEEP THIS GOOD NEWS TO OURSELVES! WE MUST SHARE!
THE ANGELIC COMMAND “GO, TELL!” IS THE CALL TO ACTION FOR ALL WHO HAVE REPENTED OF THEIR SINS AND HAVE RECEIVED SALVATION IN JESUS CHRIST FOR THEMSELVES TO LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH IN BOTH WORD AND DEED. GO AND SHARE YOUR FAITH!
THE FINAL INSTRUCTION OF EASTER COMES FROM JESUS. WE FIND IT UNIQUELY TRANSLATED IN HIS GREETING TO THE WOMEN. VERSE 9, JESUS APPEARS TO GIVE A TYPICAL GREETING OF “GOOD MORNING” OR “GREETINGS.” THIS GREEK WORD LITERALLY MEANS “REJOICE!” THOSE WHO HAVE MET THE RISEN LORD MUST LIVE FOREVER IN THE JOY AND GLADNESS OF HIS PRESENCE THAT NOTHING CAN EVER TAKE AWAY.
ROMANS 8:35, 38-39, “WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST? SHALL TRIBULATION, OR DISTRESS, OR PERSECUTION, OR FAMINE, OR NAKEDNESS, OR DANGER, OR SWORD? FOR I AM SURE THAT NEITHER DEATH NOR LIFE, NOR ANGELS NOR RULERS, NOR THINGS PRESENT NOR THINGS TO COME, NOR POWERS, NOR HEIGHT NOR DEPTH, NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION, WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.”
A LIFE OF FAITH LIVES IN THE AWE AND WONDER OF THIS GREAT VICTORY OVER DEATH AND SIN. THERE IS JOY WHEN ONE DISCOVERS THAT JESUS OFFERS US SHALOM. PEACE! JOHN 14:27, “PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU; MY PEACE I GIVE YOU. I DO NOT GIVE TO YOU AS THE WORLD GIVES. DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED AND DO NOT BE AFRAID.” REJOICE! PEACE INSTEAD OF FEAR BECAUSE OF JESUS!
THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR EASTER IS TO ACCEPT AND RECEIVE IT FOR YOURSELF; SHARE YOUR DISCOVERY IN JESUS WITH OTHERS, AND REJOICE THAT YOU ARE NOW AN HEIR TO A KINGDOM AS A SON AND DAUGHTER OF GOD THE FATHER.
THAT IS THE MESSAGE OF THE EMPTY TOMB: THE MYSTERY THAT JESUS IS NO LONGER THERE; THE MIRACLE THAT JESUS HAS RISEN; AND FINALLY, THE MEANING OF THE EMPTY TOMB IS THE VICTORY OF FORGIVENESS, SALVATION, AND ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
THEREFORE, LIKE THE WOMEN WHO ENCOUNTERED JESUS ON THE FIRST EASTER MORNING, LET US FALL EVEN MORE IN LOVE WITH JESUS, REJOICE, AND THEN FALL AT HIS FEET IN GLAD AND REVERENT WORSHIP OF OUR RISEN, LIVING LORD. AMEN.
