“THE EMPTY TOMB” Luke 24:1-12
FBCF – 3/31/24
Jon Daniels
INTRO – When other religions describe their main figure or leader or teacher, they use the word “was.”
- Muhammad WAS an Arab religious, social, & political leader & the founder of Islam.
- Buddha WAS a wandering ascetic & religious teacher & founded Buddhism.
- Confucius WAS a Chinese philosopher whose teachings comprise Confucianism.
They have to use the past tense to describe their leaders b/c all of their leaders are dead.
- Muhammad’s tomb is in Saudi Arabia.
- Buddha’s remains are in India, Japan, Malaysia, the US, & about 20 other locations.
- Confucius is buried close to a town in China called Qufu.
When we Christians talk about our main figure, leader, & teacher, we also use the past tense.
- Jesus WAS born in Bethlehem…WAS a great teacher, preacher, & healer…WAS crucified on a Roman cross…WAS placed in a borrowed tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea…WAS dead for 3 days.
BUT…we are able to triumphantly, joyfully, truthfully, & powerfully use the PRESENT tense to proclaim:
Jesus IS alive!!! Dolly Parton is not singing about Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius when she sings, “He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s alive & I’m forgiven, heaven’s gates are open wide.” She’s singing about JESUS b/c He’s the ONLY one who is alive today!
EXPLANATION – Luke 24:1-12
APPLICATION – We have the promise of salvation because of the resurrection of our Savior!
Do you know why so many people come to church on Easter? Because of the message of Easter! What is the message of Easter?
IT’S A MESSAGE OF HOPE! – People are longing for hope! What is Hope – the sure & confident expectation in what God has promised.
- The hope wasn’t when they found the stone rolled away – v. 2
- The hope wasn’t when they saw the empty tomb – v. 3
- The hope wasn’t when they saw the angel(s) – v. 4; Matthew 28:2-3; John 20:12 (“…she saw 2 angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain…”)
The hope came when they heard the truth that He was alive!
- v. 5-6 – “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen.”
- Matthew 28:6 – “He is not here, He has risen, just as He said.” (NIV)
The hope came when they saw Jesus!
- 2 disciples saw Him on the road to Emmaus. The rest of the disciples saw Him later & were blown away – v. 41 – “They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.” (MSG). That’s what hope does to you! It amazes you & seems too good to be true!
- Thomas had to see the nail prints in His hands & feet. And when he did, he declared, “My Lord & my God!” (John 20:28). When you KNOW that Jesus is your Lord & your God, you KNOW that you have hope!
- He appeared to John & Peter on the beach & restored Peter’s relationship w/ Him (John. 21:15-19). When Jesus restores you after you’ve royally blown it, that’s the epitome of hope!
B/c He’s alive, we have HOPE – the confident assurance that Jesus IS alive & that He will do all that He has promised He would do.
- Colossians 1:27 – “…the secret is simply this: Christ in you! Yes, Christ in you bringing with him the hope of all glorious things to come.” (Phillips)
- Titus 2:13-14 – “…we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people…” (NLT)
- 1 Peter 1:3 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life. He gave us a living hope because Jesus Christ rose from death.” (ICB)
IT’S A MESSAGE OF JOY! – people are longing for joy! Think about the depth of the sorrow that Jesus’ disciples & followers must have felt on the Friday afternoon at about 3:00 when they heard Jesus cry out, “It is finished!”, & when they saw His head drop for the last time as He willingly gave up His spirit.
Grief can be overwhelming. We’ve all been there – death of a spouse, parent, child, friend, or someone else. It is a suffocating feeling, a heaviness, a pain that is so deep that it sometimes immobilizes us.
But Psalmist said, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) And the greatest joy ever came early that first Easter Sunday morning. I’m not sure if David was thinking about the resurrection when he wrote those words in Psalm 30 hundreds of years before Jesus came. But they sure do fit here today!
This world will destroy & decimate you w/ despair & grief. That’s the reality of living in this fallen world that Jesus told us about in John 16:33 – “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” B/c He’s alive…
- He overcomes the depression of this world w/ joy!
- He overcomes the misery of this world w/ joy!
- He overcomes the sadness & sorrows of this world w/ joy!
John 16:22 – “So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your heart will rejoice, and NO ONE WILL TAKE YOUR JOY AWAY FROM YOU!” – NO ONE!!!
IT’S A MESSAGE OF PURPOSE! – People are longing for purpose! The angel told the women to “Go & tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead!” (Matthew 28:7)
- You & I have got to do the same thing – Go & tell others that Jesus is alive. That’s our purpose now!
Thomas, “My Lord & my God” – “Lord” means “Master”, “Boss”, the one who calls the shots in your life now. When he said those words, he was making a commitment to live for Jesus for the rest of his life, & that’s what he did – was eventually stabbed w/ spears & martyred in India where he went as a missionary –
- You & I have got to live for Him now, too. That’s our purpose now!
Jesus’ final words are our most important marching orders as Christ-followers – Matthew 28:19-20
- You & I have got to obey Him now & make disciples. That’s our purpose now!
IT’S A MESSAGE OF ETERNAL LIFE! – People are longing for eternal life! John 14:19 – “…Because I live, you also will live.” But the only way that will be true for you is if you have trusted Christ ALONE for your salvation!
CONCLUSION – So where’s your HOPE?
- Well, I HOPE I make it to heaven.
- I HOPE the Lord will let me in.
- I HOPE I’ve been good enough or done enough.
- That’s not HOPE at all!
Where’s your JOY? Do you find your joy in your…
- Kids? Grandkids? Work? Hobbies? Pleasure?
- That JOY will never last!
Where’s your PURPOSE? What are you living for?
- Make a lot of money?
- Be successful? Business? School? Athletics?
- Be the best parent I can be…best employee I can be…best spouse I can be.
- All honorable but will leave you empty in the end.
Where’s your ETERNAL LIFE? What are you trusting in to save you?
- Live a good life. Be a moral person who hopefully does more good than bad. Do the best you can & hope it’s enough.
- That’s what Muhammad, Buddha, & Confucius would tell you is the key to eternal life.
Come to the risen, living Jesus today & have:
- HOPE that never dies.
- JOY that never wavers.
- PURPOSE that never changes.
- ETERNAL LIFE that never ends.
INVITE CARD – Found in trash can – That’s what a lot of people think about this message – it’ just garbage. Throw it away & don’t think about it again.
- Is that what YOU are going to do w/ this message today?
