Easter Sunrise Service – “Three Days and Three Nights”

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. 11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.

You know as us driving out the Smorgon we was coming in the van it is so bright and early this morning coming out and coming over the hill there $68.00 hidden down towards where you get off at the exit the Red Bud trees were just like glowing they were just so beautiful on just that time in the morning and so we are at Spring time the time when the earth is coming back to life if you will the bread but trees out the bloom on the trees and everything good and nice and green but we rejoice most of all at the life that we have in Jesus Christ and I’m not going to for enjoyment caroms were because I did find a little scripture that I want to share the small. And Mark Chapter 16 I know she’s in 15 now when he arose early on the 1st day of the week he appeared to 1st to Mary Magdalene of whom he had cast out 7 demons she went and told those who had been with them as they mourned and wept and when they heard that he had was alive and had been seen by her they did not believe after that he appeared in another form to 2 others as they walked and went into the country and they when told it to the rest but they did not believe them either. Later he appeared to the 11 as he sat at the table and he rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen he said to them go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature he who believes and is baptized will be saved but he who does not believe will be condemned and these signs will follow those who believe in my name they will cast out demons they will speak with new tuns they will take up serpents and they will drink anything deadly and it will by name means hurt them they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover he rebuked their unbelief blessid are those who have not seen and believe less than are those who hear the word and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ believe in the Gospel the truth the good news of God hear the word of a man. Good morning and morning. Thank morning Easter. Amen you know what Easter people. Think that. It’s Easter Why are you Easter people because you believe in the Risen Savior beast right and the Easter people. Didn’t think about that. So getting into the Easter message it was. It’s a little hard when you’re given 2 messages in 2 days to not try one another’s passages and so we were talking about it last week and he says What do you go preach on some kind of thinking about the timeline on Jesus death during the week and you know what transpired he says oh OK said well go with the other women so apparently he was thinking the same. And so we were caught up in the air which one was getting to preach it we both think in the same thing which kind of says you know that something that God wanted spoken this morning so today is Sunday morning it’s the 1st day of the week Jesus would have had a very hard week when. He would have had a very hard week has endured very much traditionally is we submit celebrate the Holy Week tradition tells us that Thursday was the day that Christ took the Passover meal with disciples and was later arrested and on Good Friday he was hung on the cross and crucified but today we’re going to look at it through a little bit of a different time frame because as I looked at this I couldn’t quite reconcile the scripture with the traditional belief so. I’m going to look at the one that actually allows for Christ has been in the grave 3 days and 3 nights because when you say he was buried on Friday that this quite add up no matter how you play it it is done come out the 3 days and 3 nights so I found a little more than I bargained for you know it always questioned how how that could reconcile with 3 days and 3 nights when I was buried on Friday and rose on Sunday and and I knew that there was an explanation just never had really dug deep into it so I kind of did that this week so all my timeline on Tuesday so back up a couple days on Tuesday Christ would have had instructed his disciples to go and prepare the Passover meal Now remember in the Bible the days are counted from sunset to sunset not from midnight to midnight that makes a big difference. So that Tuesday evening was the beginning of Nissan 14 they were preparing for the feast of unleavened bread that was the 1st Sabbath that’s talked about in the Bible when we recount this week and you as they talk about it there’s talk of it sounds like 2 different Sabbaths and it is but a lot of people don’t understand that but he gave the disciples instructions on where to go and how they would know the correct place he told him they would find a room and there would be a donkey and they were to ask the man to use the donkey and so the disciples went and they prepared the meal for Tuesday evening and this is where Jesus 1st introduced the new covenant symbols in Matthew $2626.00 through $28.00 as they were eating Jesus took the bread blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said Take eat this is my body then he took the cup and Gay thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is the blood of my new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sin but I say to you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom so that was storing the Passover meal later that same evening and it’s probably after sunset now so it would even though it’s not midnight it would have been there Wednesday this would have been the preparation day for the Feast of Unleavened Bread the 1st Sabbath that will encounter later that evening Wednesday evening and is probably well after sunset Jesus was betrayed by Judith in the garden that disseminates with a holy kiss Judas went up gave Jesus a kiss which signified to the Romans that this is the one they were to arrest so he was arrested and later that night brought before the High Priest by Wednesday morning so were were going in to daybreak the next morning which was still Wednesday. Jesus was led to the place of his crucifixion by 9 am He was on the cross by 3 pm he was dead how do we know this let’s look at Matthew 2746 through 50 which says now from the 6th hour until the 9th there there were stork Nisser for all the land at about the 9th hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying and I’m going to butcher the Hebrew I know I am. I love a llama setback Fennis. Me OK which literally means my God my God why have you for sake of me some of those who stood there when they heard that said this man is calling for a lodger immediately one of them ran and took a sponge filled it with Sarwan and put it want to read and offered it to him to drink the rest said Let him be alone let us see if a lodger will come and save him so they were still taunting him and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yelled up and yielded up his spirit and the rest said Let him alone let us see if a lodger will come to save him and Jesus cried out Oh I’m sorry it is repeating itself and Jesus cried out a loud voice and unit up his spear my computer program must have said it twice so it’s still the preparation day the feast of beef the day before the Feast of Unleavened Bread which happened the one Wednesday with were on Wednesday so the Feast of Unleavened Bread began at sunset on Wednesday were still on Wednesday the day the Christ So Jesus’ body was taken off the cross and are taken directly to the 2 of Joseph a very because they didn’t have time to prepare and it was already sunset it was already the 1st Sabbath and this is the annual high sabbath it was a holy day until the Lord it was the Feast of Unleavened Bread not the weekly sabbath that trance that we celebrate every week or on the 7th day this was an annual Sabbath. Mark 1542 says this now when evening had come because it was a preparation day that is the sabbath that is the day before the Sabbath Joseph of their myth the prominent council member who was himself waiting for the Kingdom of God coming in taking charge went into pilot and asked for the body of Jesus this is where a lot of the confusion comes in with understanding when Jesus was crucified when he rose they’re looking at the Sabbath and they’re not counting that there was an annual Sabbath week it was the Sabbath of unleavened bread it was the Feast of Unleavened Bread and a lot of confusion is coming in because people say but it was the Sabbath Yes it was a Sabbath but it was an annual Sabbath let us keep in mind the words that Jesus had spoken to the scribes and Pharisees and Matthew 1238 they were still trying this is back when they were still trying to discredit Jesus back before he was crucified back before they had arrested him it says then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered saying Teacher we want to see a sign from you but he answered them and said an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and no son will be given it except for the son of the prophet Jonah for as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the great fish so will the son a man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth and I went to the Strong’s and looked up days to see what it was saying about days when maybe there’s something there Strong says that days is a literal time in space between dawn and dork an entire 24 hour period so let’s remember that as we go one so Wednesday was the 1st night that Christ would have been in the tomb it was the 1st night of his birth by Thursday the day of unleavened bread since it was a Sabbath and to the lord no one could do anything this was his 2nd night in the ground. By Friday the women were able to go out and purchase the spices and prepare them so that they could anoint spotty because they had to rest on the Sabbath before and they had to rest on the Sabbath the next day so by Friday they were preparing the spices now what would have taken them all day to prepare the spices on Friday no one said let’s look at the Times How did they get around their wall they are they want to know don’t they didn’t just run get in the car and start it and go to the grocery store and pick up what they need and get back in the car and be home in an area did they they may have had to walk several hours to get to where the spices were I don’t know what goes on the pair and spices for burial maybe they had to be simmered maybe they had something had to transpire I don’t know but it says the Bible says Friday they went and bought the spices that’s all it tells us so all the rest is just kind of speculation on my part that when we look at how they live that could have been a fact that played into it so Friday night he was in the tomb again this is the 3rd night by Saturday morning the Sabbath the women again had to wait and rest because it was another Sabbath it was a 2nd Sabbath and before they could ever get to the tomb when they got there and when his body on early Sunday morning the tomb was open and was risen one how he was risen 3 days 3 days 3 nights. It’s plain that a lot better than the well he was buried on Friday but but that counts as a day and and Saturday counts as a day and Sunday counts as a day and and but you know there were there in you can almost get the 3 days in the air but you can never get the 3 nights in Christ said he was in the tomb 3 days and 3 nights. John 21 through 18 and this is a long scripture I realize now the 1st day of the week this would been Sunday the day after the weekly sabbath Mary Magdalene went to the to Marley and while it was still dark and saw all that distant had been taken away from the tomb then she ran and came to Simon Peter into the other Siple whom Jesus loved a lot of Hell John says and said to them they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they have laid Him Peter therefore went out in the other disciple and were going to the tomb so they both ran together in the dugout and the other disciple out ran Peter and came to the tune 1st and he the other disciple stopping stooping down and looking in saw the linen cloth lying there yet he did not go in then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb and he saw all the linen cost lying there and the handkerchief that had been around his head not lying with the linen cause but folded together in a place by itself then the disciple the other disciple who came to the tomb 1st also went in and he saw and believed for is yet they did not know the Scripture that he must rise again from the dead although he had been telling them that for quite a while and then a disciples went away again to their own homes but Mary stood outside the tomb weeping and gnashing wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb and she saw 2 angels and white sitting one at the head and one at the other feet where the body of Jesus had lain and when they said to her Woman Why are you weeping she said to them because they have taken away my Lord and I don’t know where they have laid him now when she had said this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus and Jesus said to her Woman are you waiting who are you seeking she Mary supposing he was him to be a gardener said to him sir if you have carried him away tell me where you have laid Him and I will take him away Jesus said to her Mary. And she turned and said to him Robbo me which is to say teacher Jesus said to her do not cling to me for I have not yet a sense to my father but go to my brother and said to them I am ascending to my father and your father and to my God and your God Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her so here’s where our timeline ends Jesus was crucified he laid in the tomb 3 days and 3 nights but now Hallelujah he is alive he has risen that song we said vainly they seal the grave you know all these things about those we saying that they rolled that to that stone and from the tomb they thought they were sealing when they thought that he wasn’t going to get out that they had it covered there was no way they could fake his rising and that’s what the stone was about because they were afraid that they would his disciples would come and sneak the body out and and they would say he had risen because he knew that they knew that Jesus was saying this was going to happen funny that cycles didn’t quite get it but the Romans did or the the various that used did so vainly they sealed that tomb but Jesus has power over death held him agree he is alive. That’s a fact these are facts that we can celebrate today and Jesus is a lot of Now and forever more we can celebrate this day and the fact that he lives and reigns with God the Father He is sitting in his right hand and his he is interceding for us he died to be that we can be forgiven from our so sins once and for all he died that death would hold no victory over us that the blood sacrifice that is needed to atone for sin would be completed once and for all for all time. He died that you and I would be set free from the separation of God and now he lives he is alive and he’s living in our hearts He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us and to comfort us and to remind us that we are not alone praise the name of Jesus he lives Christ Jesus lives today you know there you may dispute the timeline and that’s OK because do we remember back in Romans I think it was 141 where we were studying room as in we were back there not seems like not too long ago but it was probably several months where Paul It said Do not argue over this beautiful things do not argue over the things that you really can’t definitely prove or that makes no difference in your salvation so you know you can you can believe what you want basically you can believe the timeline that you want this one aligns with scripture it aligns with scripture and that’s what we have to look at but they are not things that are going to save you or give you your salvation so they’re not anything we can argue over any more than we should argue or baptism or something like that you know there are things that aren’t going to change our salvation and that’s the most important thing that’s what Christ died for that we would have salvation that’s what the cross was all about that we would have salvation once and for all and while it’s good to understand the facts and to to get into the scripture and understand what it says and it’s good to know it’s not going to change your salvation if you believe one way or you believe the other but tradition is sometimes hard to overcome but when you look at scripture Sometimes you just have to say like I did this week. This is a better understanding. So I pray that each of you enjoy your resurrection Sunday I pray that you enjoy that the fact that Christ is alive and that he’s alive and living for us and that’s that he died for us that we would have eternal life and that’s what makes us that’s our God apart from any of the other little g gods is that yes he died but he now lives overcame death and overcame it for us as well the men