THE INESCAPABLE RESURRECTION
Mt. 28:1-7; Lk. 24:36-44
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Five-year-old Brian had a pivotal verse to recite in an Easter program: “He is not here, he is risen” (Luke 24:6). Unfortunately, he could not remember what to say, and the director had to quietly remind him of his line.
2. He then confidently grabbed the microphone and triumphantly shouted, “He’s not here; He’s in prison!” [Source: Mature Living, April, 2011]
B. TEXTS
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” Mt. 28:1-7, NKJV.
36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” 40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence. 44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” Lk. 24:36-44, NKJV.
C. THE ROLL OF RELIGIONS CALLED:
1. MANY PLACES ARE FAMOUS for what they contain:
Pyramids of Egypt -- mummified remains of pharaohs;
Westminster Abbey -- nobles, scholars, writers;
Mohammed's tomb -- stone coffin and its bones;
Arlington Cemetery, D.C. -- honored Americans.
2. But there is one burial place that is famous for what it does NOT contain: the tomb of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! He is not there because He is risen!
3. General Gordon, who discovered the Garden Tomb, had its dust of the tomb of Jesus swept up and tested for any trace of human remains. There were none, because Jesus is Risen!
4. Go to the tombs of the founders of the great world religions. Call the roll:
Mohammed … “Here!”
Moses … “Here!”
Buddha … “Here!”
Confucius … “Here!”
Jesus Christ … … .
No answer! Because he is not there. The tomb is empty!
D. SIN HAS A TERRIBLE PRICETAG
1. 3 THINGS SIN DOES TO US:
a. Power of Sin – enslaves & controls us;
b. Impurity of Sin – contaminate, corrupts, defiles;
c. Penalty of Sin – alienates, separates us from God. The wages of sin is death.
2. Q – Is there no solution? Yes! Someone must pay the price of sin; either you will die for your sins or someone else for you – Jesus.
3. Sin cost God the death of His Son. “John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jn. 1:29. “…and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” 1 Jn. 1:7. But most ignore this incredible event/ love.
E. THE RESURRECTION NECESSARY
1. HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE
a. There was no question by anyone present at Jesus’ crucifixion that Jesus was completely & unalterably dead.
b. The Jewish leaders were sure He was dead.
c. Roman soldiers made sure – they put a spear through His heart to make sure.
d. The disciples took down His cold, stiff, lifeless form. They didn’t believe He would rise. They had to be convinced of His resurrection.
2. Luke says that after His suffering He “showed Himself alive by many infallible proofs” Acts 1:3.
1). Over a period of 40 days;
2). 12 different appearances/ visits;
3). Once to more than 500 people at one time.
3. THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS PROVES:
a. That He’s the divine Son of God (Rom. 1:4);
b. His sacrifice was accepted by the Father Act 2:33);
c. He has power over SIN & its consequences;
d. Pledge of our own Resurrection; “Because I live, you also will live” John 14:19.
4. According to Rom. 10:9, you can’t be saved unless you believe in the Resurrection of Jesus!
5. So I want to tell you why the resurrection of Jesus was Unstoppable & Inescapable! Because “it was impossible for Him to be held in [Death’s] power.” Acts 2:24, NASB. HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED:
I. JESUS OVERCAME & DISARMED DEATH
A. OUR DREADED ENEMY
1. Since the Fall, Death has been our dreaded enemy. Job referred to Death as “the King of Terrors,” (18:14).
2. Modern depictions = a hooded & cloaked skeleton, carrying a scythe – the Grim Reaper.
3. When Jesus died, Death came to claim its greatest prize – the Son of God.
4. Isa. 14:9-11 describes the celebration in Hell when the King of Babylon descended into it. Imagine the uproar & mocking when Death led the Son of God in!
5. But just as Samson broke his bonds when the Philistines cheered his capture (& killed a 1,000 of them), so Christ was filled with infinite power and…
Broke the chains of Death,
Overthrew the power of Hell,
Mortally wounded the Prince of Darkness!
6. But how could His victory help us?
B. JESUS PULLED OUT THE STING OF DEATH
1. “‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” 1 Cor. 15:55-56.
2. The only legal grounds Death had for taking Christ was our sins. Having no sins of His own, after death, Death could not keep its hold on to Him. And since He died for our sins, we’re released too!
3. ILLUS. A father & son were riding along in their car. A bee flew into the car. The boy was terrified because he was deathly allergic to bees. The Dad caught the bee with his hand, held it for a moment, then he let go.
4. The boy was terrified again. His father said, “Son, you don’t have to worry any more. It can’t hurt you.” “Why?” “Because it only has one sting and I took it!”
5. That’s what Jesus did for us; He took the sting of Death! Why is the resurrection inevitable?
II. IDENTITY: JUST WHO IS THIS JESUS?
A. THE DEVIL GOT A SURPRISE
1. When Jesus met demon-possessed people, the demons came out crying, “You are the Holy One of God! You are the Son of God!” Mk. 1:24; 3:11.
2. 1 Cor. 2:8 says, “…which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory!” (NKJV)
B. THE ALL-SWALLOWER
1. Jesus couldn’t stay dead because He is the source/ generator of all Life.
2. Acts 3:15 calls Him the “Author of Life.” In John 11:25 Jesus said, “I Am the Resurrection & the Life….” Heb. 7:16 says He has “the power of an indestructible life.”
3. Life is stronger than death; it existed first. 1 Cor. 15:54, “Death is swallowed up…by life” Everybody knows the bigger fish always swallows the smaller fish (not vice versa). Life swallowed up Death! Glory! 3rd reason His resurrection was inescapable:
III. THE SCRIPTURES FORETOLD HE WOULD RISE
A. THE NATURE OF THE WORD
1. What God says always happens. It’s impossible for what God predicts to fail to come to pass! Once spoken, it’s set in motion. The Word of the Lord runs swiftly!
2. Matt. 5:18, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” NIV. Isa. 55:11.
3. Some have a problem with the story of Jonah and the whale, saying that a whale can’t swallow a man. But I’ll tell you, If the Bible said that JONAH SWALLOWED THE WHALE, I’d believe it!
B. HIS RESURRECTION – UNSTOPPABLE!
1. The Guards at the tomb couldn’t stop it.
2. “ Jewish Leaders “ “ “
3. Pontius Pilate “ “ “
4. Caesar & his legions “ “ “
5. Not the ATHEISTS, the LIBERALS,
Not the DOUBTERS, nor the SCOFFERS,
No PRESIDENTS, No POTENTATES, PARLIAMENTS, POLITICIANS, or PREMIERS could stop it;
6. No POWER in the Universe, HEAVEN, or HELL could stop it. The Resurrection was Unstoppable!!!!
7. It happened on this morning, 2000 years ago:
a. The ground began to rumble;
b. A nuclear blast shook the foundations of Hell;
c. The devil was overcome;
d. The Saints of Old were liberated from Death;
e. Life reigns triumphant!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Nansen, the Norwegian explorer, tried to measure an extremely deep part of the Arctic Ocean. The first day, he used his longest measuring line but couldn’t reach bottom. He wrote in his log book, “The ocean is deeper than that!”
2. The next day, he added more line but still could not measure the depth, and so again in his record book he wrote, “Deeper than that!” After several days of adding more and more pieces of rope and cord to his line, he had to leave that part of the ocean without learning its actual depth. All he knew was that it was beyond his ability to measure.
3. So too, we cannot plumb the depths of God’s love, because our human measuring line is too short.
B. THE SILENT SERMON
1. A medieval monk announced he would be preaching the next Sunday evening on "The Love of God." As the shadows fell, the congregation gathered into the church. The sunlight ceased to come in through the cathedral windows and the interior was dark.
2. The monk stood before them and lit a candle and moved before a large mural of the crucified Christ. The congregation watched as he, first, illumined the crown of thorns.
3. Next he illuminated the nail in Christ’s wounded hands, the marks made by the lash of the cat-of nine-tails, the spear wound to His side, and the twisted mutilated feet. He brushed a tear from his eyes.
4. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say. Oh! The love of Jesus! [Ted Sutherland]
C. THE CALL
1. Jesus’ resurrection means that:
a. We can have a New Life;
b. God is in control of your Future;
c. You can live forever by faith in Jesus!
2. On Easter morning, Jesus began a new life; would you like to start a new life this morning? You can have the same resurrection life inside you!
3. Prayer for salvation.
