He Has Risen
Please stand as we read God’s Holy Word.
Luke 24:1-8
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?
6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:
7 ’The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’"
8 Then they remembered his words.
(NIV)
Prayer:
You may be seated.
When the body of Jesus was placed in the tomb, a large stone was rolled in front of it. This was done not to keep Jesus in, but to keep people out. Remember when Jesus appeared to His disciples in a locked room? The stone could not keep Jesus in the grave. The purpose of the stone was to keep people out until the third day.
When the women came to the tomb with spices, they found that the stone had been rolled away and their Lord’s Body was missing. I imagine that many thoughts ran through their heads. Their primary thought must have been who has taken the body of our Lord Jesus?
Two angels appeared to them and said: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Often Christians are looking for God among the dead. They study the Bible as a mere historical book and go to church as if going to a memorial service. Christ is alive! He lives! He sits at the right hand of the Father. He reigns in the hearts of all true believers and Christ is the head of His Church.
Are we looking for Christ among the living today? Does Christ live in you? Does His light shine through you so that others can see it? Is Christ not only your Savior, but also your Lord? We can see His work all through out the world today, in our lives, in our churches and by all the answered prayers.
Because Christ was resurrected, we have the blessed assurance that we too will be resurrected. Because we have that assurance should we continue to live that same life that we lived before knowing Christ? By no means!
Rom 6:1-5
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
(NIV)
When Christ died on the cross, He took on all of our sins, so that we would have a new life in Him. Through Christ, we have died to sin and have been given the power by the Blood to live a new life. We are to live a righteous and holy life. We are to live a life that others can see Christ in us. Just as Christ was crucified on the cross and resurrected, we too have died to sin and have been resurrected in a new life in Christ. Just as Christ has won the victory over sin, death and Satan, we too have that same victory. Rejoice in the Lord our God and praise His name.
1 Pet 1:3-5
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you,
5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
(NIV)
Because Christ was resurrected and lives today we have a salvation that can never be taken away from us. Let’s start living our lives victorious. Satan was defeated at the resurrection and all that believes and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior also has that same victory over Satan and death.
Rom 10:9-10
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
(NIV)
If you are here today and have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, rejoice in the shared resurrection that you have in Christ. Start living a victorious life in Christ. Repent from any sins that may be in your life today and let Christ be the Lord of you life. Follow willingly wherever He leads.
If you are here today and you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, then you are not part of the resurrection of Christ that we are celebrating today. Without this resurrection, you will spend eternality in hell with the defeated Satan. Jesus is calling all to be saved, but you must make that personal commitment yourself. It is so easy. Just confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead on this day about 2000 years ago. It is your choice. Heaven or Hell!
