What Do You See When There Is Nothing There?

Introduction: Matthew 28:5-6

1. When the women came to the tomb looking for the body of Jesus, they were told by an angel, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.”

2. They came to see His body, but there was nothing there. There was a place, but not a person. There was a grave, but the Lord was gone.

3. The men on the road to Emmaus said, “And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see” (Lk. 24:24).

4. But what did they see when there was nothing to see? John answers, “Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed” (Jn. 20:9).

5. What did they see when there was nothing to see? The Bible says “he saw.” But what did he see? Nothing! He saw nothing “and believed.” Believed what? He believed in “THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION” (Phil. 3:10).

6. In the resurrection we see that God:

1) PROVES a FACT

2) PROCLAIMS FORGIVENESS

3) PROVIDES a FORCE

Body:

I. PROVES THE FACT

A. First, we see that God proves the fact that Jesus is the Son of God.

He was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead”(Rom. 1:4).

B Jesus showed Himself alive to His apostles after His death by many infallible proofs (Acts 1:1-3). He “presented Himself alive after His suffering.”

C The resurrection of Christ is a fundamental fact that we must keep in mind if we are saved (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Note: “if you keep in memory what I preached to you.”

D The first sermon under the Great Commission was almost entirely devoted to the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:22-36). Note: “God raised up” (24); “raise up the Christ” (30); “the resurrection of the Christ” (31); “this Jesus God raised up” (32).

E Our very salvation depends on our faith in the resurrection of Christ (Rom. 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.”

Baptism has meaning only as it relates to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1 Peter 3:21). Peter said, “this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”

II. PROCLAIMS OUR FORGIVENESS

A. Not only do we see that God proves the fact that Jesus is His Son, but He also to proclaims our forgiveness through Jesus the Son (Acts 13:37-39). “But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.”

B. He was raised because of our justification (Rom. 4:25). “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

C. He died and was raised to make intercession for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34). Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them (Hebrews 7:25).

D. Thus, we are to preach Christ crucified, the power and wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:23-24). Paul wrote, “but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

He became for us righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30). It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

It is important to note that there are no sermons in the New Testament devoted exclusively to faith, or repentance, or confession, or baptism.

The Christians in the New Testament emphasized Christ and what he has done, THEN they told people how to respond. In much of our preaching today we emphasize how to respond and sometimes hardly mention Christ as the sin offering.

And because of this we have some people converted to a system rather than a Savior, rules rather than a Redeemer, and a plan rather than a Man.