Easter Message “The Hope of the Resurrection”

24 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 over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Good morning. Happy Easter to everyone. Now this morning on the way up to live able to pick pick up the guys wrote a song it’s you know I’ve heard it before but it’s a living Savior I need the now we need him now we need him every moment every day we need him this morning I have a message I have titled the hope of the resurrection you know I could switch that around and say the right is the resurrection is our hope the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is our hope that is why we can have the hope of resurrection also you know as we think about the week that we go through and Easter week we think of the Thursday evening we celebrate the Passover and as everyone knows of Passover is when the Lord was about of the liver the children of Egypt out of bondage and slavery that they sent the plagues to Pharaoh he sent Moses and sent all the plagues to try to get Vera to release the children of Israel and we all know that after ten you know with after nine plagues he refused to let him go but the tenth play the plague of death the death of every first born every first born male livestock and of all of the even the men you know first born would die but except for those who applied the blood for the lentil in the doorpost of their homes they had to sacrifice a lamb and apply the blood to the doorpost that’s what Passover is there when he seen the blood he would pass over that home and were not bring death into that home so that is why we celebrate Passover and then Friday night Gary delivered a wonderful message on the crucifixion how cruel the cross the cross of Christ endured our suffering he endured our pain he endured the penalty of our sins that was the message yesterday the crown the. Crown is a symbol. Of Sin thorns is a symbol of sin and that was placed upon him he bore our sins upon himself but this morning we’re here to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Musgrave this morning comes from Luke Chapter twenty four verses one through twelve. Here the word of the Lord now in the first day of the week very early in the morning they and certain other woman with them came to the tomb bringing spice bringing the spices which they had prepared but they found the stone rolled away from the tomb now the angels did not roll the stone away so Jesus could get out they rolled the stone away so that the women could get in see when they came to look for Jesus then they went in and did not find the body of Our Lord of the Lord Jesus and it happened as they were greatly perplexed about this that behold two men stood by them in shining garments then as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth they said to them Why do you seek the living among the dead he is not here but is risen how it will you remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee saying the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified in the third day rise again and they remembered his words then they returned from the tomb and so told all these things to the leaven and to all the rest it was Mary Magdalene Joanna Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles and their words seem like idle tales and they did not believe them but Peter rose and ran to the tomb and stooping down he saw the linen cloth lying by themselves and he departed marveling to himself at what had happened they got out his blessing so the hearing and reading of His Holy Word that a spray. Father we thank you we thank you for that first Easter morning and Father we thank you that for us every day is Resurrection Day We thank you The Because your son Jesus lives we too can live we thank you because of his resurrection that we too have the hope of resurrection to eternal life we thank you Father and we just pray that that joy that peace that assurance will be in all of our hearts not only today but every day as we live our lives or let us live our lives unto you let us live our lives as an example unto others that they would see the hope that we have the hope of life and if they would desire that in Father may we be faithful to share your love and your glory and your mercy in Jesus’ name amen. You know if you were to. Read through your Bible and read the four gospel accounts of the resurrection you may see that there appears to be a few discrepancies in Matthew Matthew reports an earthquake. And a rolling away the stone you don’t read that in Luke Matthew and Mark speak of only one angel at the tomb were John and Luke speak of two angels at the tomb Matthew and Rebbe and Mark report only the women visiting the tomb while Luke and John tell of Peter and John visiting the tomb but you know these little differences do not discredit the truth of the Word of God because one writer might have one of the share he was rated writing to one audience and he might ought to have thought this was important but there is one thing that all four of the Gospels. Agree on. The most important thing they agree on and that is the fact that the tomb was empty that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and the tomb is still empty today they also agree that Mary was the first to visit the empty tomb the first to witness the resurrected Lord. Another thing that has ever. And all four gospels is the shock and confusion surrounding the resurrection of Christ and this this belief of the disciples. They did they didn’t understand this but you know they should have understood it they should have they shouldn’t have been confused especially Peter. And Matthew sixteen twenty one through twenty three says from that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders in the chief priests and scribes and be killed and rise the third day then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke insane far be it from you Lord this shall not happen to you but he turned to Peter and perturbed and said to Peter Get Behind Me Satan you are an offense to me for you are not mindful of the things of God but of things of men. And then Mark nine thirty one and thirty two for he taught his disciples and said to them The Son of man is being betrayed into the hands of man and they will kill him after that after he is killed he will rise the third day but they did not understand the saying and were afraid to ask him of all of the disciples you would have thought Peter after Jesus rebuked him would have understood that. I mean come on a should have pitched their tents down there by the tomb and saying it might and it’s Friday but Sundays come and he said he’s going to rise a third day they should have been down there waiting waiting for the resurrection they shouldn’t have been confused but they were the angel had to refresh their memories to the memories of the women and even after the women went told the disciples they still was in disbelief. They did not believe until they ran down themselves and seen the empty tomb and many of the other disciples again they didn’t believe until they seen we know doubting Thomas he says I will. Believe in us I place my hands in the now Prince of Peace hands in the holy side. Doubting Thomas. My friends but it is by faith that we believe it is by faith that we believe someone told you about Jesus and we have to make a decision are we going to believe are we going to disbelieve we must believe believe in the resurrected Savior he is alive the grave could not hold him death could not conquer him Satan could not defeat him you know Satan thought that he had won. He probably had a little victory celebration on that Friday evening but it was a very short lived victory celebration because he rose up out of that grave and the moment that he rose up out of that great Satan knew that he had been defeated he know that he is defeated for eternity. The resurrection is the most important fact of our Christian faith the resurrection is the foundation upon which the Christian church is built upon you take that away you take away our hope that is our hope the resurrection it is our joy it is our peace it is our strength is that which gives us comfort in this life comfort to know that this life is not all there is praise God that this life is not all there is if we lived to be a hundred it’s still not enough. We praise God for the hope that we have of eternal life with him how sad it would be if this life was all there was. It would be so sad. John fourteen thousand nine hundred says a little while longer and the world will see me no more but you will see me because I live you will live also because he lives because he rose up out of that grave we also shall live. The resurrection is the event that changed the entire history of mankind. You know I found a little story. And you probably do not remember this name course I didn’t either I didn’t know this name of this man too I found. A man named Nikolai burka Iran during his day he was a powerful man he was as powerful man is or ever was on the earth he was a Russian Communist leader and he took part. In. A ball Selvig revolution in one thousand nine hundred seventeen he was the editor of a Soviet newspaper provider which means truth. And he was a former member of the Politburo probably not pronounce and some of these words correctly but his work on economics and political science are still read today there was a story told about a journey at a journey that he took from Moscow to a in one nine hundred thirty to address a huge assembly on the subject of atheism and addressing the crowd he aimed his heavily heavy artillery at Christianity hurling insults arguments and proof against it an hour later when he was finished he looked out at what seemed to be the smoldering ashes of men’s faith are there any questions Burke her in demanded deafening silence filled the auditorium but then one man approached the platform amount of the lectern standing near the communist leader he surveyed the crowd first looking to the left and then to the right file he shouted in the ancient greeting known well in the Russian Orthodox Church Christ is risen. And then in the thundering sound the crowd responded. He is risen indeed my friends Christ is risen. He is risen indeed that’s what we say this morning he is risen indeed I am convinced I have faith I believe that he has risen indeed and that’s where we have to get to do you believe that he is risen indeed nod your head as an affirmation if you believe that he is risen indeed do you believe that he is risen he is the risen Lord. First Corinthians six fourteen and God both raise up the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. For Libyans three seven through sixteen and says But what they were again to me these I have counted last for Christ’s yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness which is from the law all but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith that I may know him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being come for him to his death if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead not that I have already attained or am already perfected but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of of me brother and I did not count myself as to have apprehended but one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead I press towards the goal the prize the upward call of God in Christ Jesus therefore let us as many as are mature have this mine and if in anything you think otherwise God revealed even this to you nevertheless to this degree that we have already attained let us walk by the same. Role let us be of the same mind. Do you have that understanding do you have that assurance of the resurrection. Christ was dead there was no life ending but the power of the Holy Spirit came upon him rose him up that same power that same power will raise us up. The last day do you have the hope of the resurrection the resurrection of these mortal bodies yes they will be raise a will not be the same as they are now we don’t know exactly what they will be able we know that we will be like him do you have that hope today that you will someday have an incorruptible body an immortal body. First Corinthians fifteen and I shared this same passage yesterday off a woman and I have to reuse it today. Fifteen fifty three fifty five and now this I say brother that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God nor was nor does corruption inherit incorruption Behold I tell you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the Last Trumpet for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raising corruptible and we shall be changed for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality so when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written that is swallowed up in victory Oh Death where is your staying Oh hey days where is your victory it has been swallowed up by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death has been defeated has been defeated. Matthew twenty twenty eight says just as a son a man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his. Life a ransom for many he gave his life as a ransom for us that we might have life and have it more abundantly you know as I was thinking about we thought there would be some new people here and thinking you know we have to share the basics we have to know that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Not one single soul Pontus earth could ever be saved by the room works by their own righteousness because we all sin and fall short of God’s glory I don’t care if it’s a big center or a little sin but every last one of his fall short somewhere along the line we may have told a lie or we may have stole something we must mean may have been disobedient to our parents. But it only takes one sin once in the separate us from God So therefore there is no way we could do it of our own works it is by grace that we are saved through faith not of works. Not of works is what he did on our cross there is no other way that man could be saved but Jesus said in his blood that perfect lamb that was slain. That was the redemption for our sins but that resurrection is a hope of life. Because just a down at girls wouldn’t of been enough. He had the rise from that grave. Because that is the only thing that gives us the victory over death we could have had victory over our sins but would not have victory over death if Jesus had not risen from the grave Amen that is our hope do you have that hope today do you have the hope of the Resurrection it is the free gift of God to all who would be to leave on him believe that he suffered and died believe that he was buried believed that he rose up out of that grave that first Easter morning brothers and sisters that is our hope that is our hope today that is our hope every day that is our hope for eternity that we too can have life rejoice in the resurrection today man.