Resurrection Day

4/20/25 a.m. Resurrection Day Luke 24:1-8

Jesus is RISEN!!! I can’t think of anything more wonderful and more beautiful than the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Why? Because it gives me HOPE TODAY. Hope that THIS LIFE is not the END but only the BEGINNING.

A. A friend of mine shared a sweet story with me several weeks ago. When he was a small boy he traveled by train, with his mama, to Iowa to visit his older brother. They had very little money and certainly couldn’t afford to buy food from the dining car on the train. So his mama had packed some snacks and things for them to eat on their journey. But while they travelled on the train a man was setting there watching them and spoke to his mama. He said, “Ma’am, wouldn’t that boy like to eat a sandwich?” And she said “Oh no, we don’t really have the money for that.” He said, “Well, I’ll buy the sandwich, I just thought he might like to have one.” And so the man ordered the sandwich and then gave to him, along with a quarter. That was a lot of money to buy candy back in those days.

I thought that was such a sweet story and this is what I told my friend, “Someday you may get to meet that man in Heaven. I think you’ll know him and you’ll have plenty of time to visit.”

B. Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the OKC bombing. 168 people died that day, 19 of them were children. I remember where I was at, when I heard the news. I just couldn’t understand and I still can’t understand how someone could do something so evil.

C. And then I was talking to my aunt this week about our loved ones that have gone on to Heaven. Her husband, my Uncle Bob, and my mama and daddy. But I told her how I LONGED to see my grandpa. I was 6 when he died and I never really got to know him. And it might sound strange but I almost CRAVE seeing him again. Hmm, then she got on to me and told me not to get in too big of a hurry. LOL Man I love her.

So what do these stories have in common? Today we have HOPE. Even in hard times and tragedies, we have HOPE.

HOPE of CLARITY of MIND. You might be thinking, “What is he talking about?” I just really feel impressed to say this. We have HOPE of everything making SENSE. HOPE of recognizing and knowing all of those who have impacted our lives. HOPE of total UNDERSTANDING.

And we have HOPE for a TIME when JESUS will make all things RIGHT. A time when the TRAGEDIES, PAIN, and TRIALS of this life won’t mean anything to us ANYMORE.

HOPE of seeing our LOVED ONES who have trusted in Jesus and then gone on to Heaven.

Listen, ALL OF THIS was made possible by ONE EVENT that occurred almost 2000 years ago. The RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST of NAZARETH from the dead. It was THE PIVOTAL MOMENT for all of MANKIND and it is the CORNERSTONE of our FAITH. And so that’s what I want to talk to you about today.

ALL of the HOPE that Jesus made possible by HIS RESURRECTION. And so let’s go ahead and read from Luke Chapter 24, Verses 1-8.

“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

8 And they remembered his words,”

Last week I spoke about the DEATH of the Lord Jesus Christ. The things that the people saw as they watched Him die. They saw the SHAME, the TORN FLESH, the BLOOD and they saw LOVE. HIS DEATH on the Cross of Calvary was the FINAL and ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for the sins of the world.

And folks, HIS DEATH is the only thing we can RELY ON for the forgiveness of our sins. Nothing else. Not our GOODNESS, our TALENT or our LOOKS. Only His death.