Sermon - Luke 24 - Resurrection Day 2020 -April 12, 2020

Happy Resurrection Day!

We are going to continue in Luke starting at chapter 24 right where we left off on Good Friday.

Between Good Friday and Resurrection Day, those who walked with Jesus were taking their Sabbath. For many of us that means that we do stuff around the house, maybe go for a drive, go for a ride, hang out with friends, etc… it is a time to enjoy ourselves, rest, or get some stuff done that we don’t classify as our job.

To those who walked with Jesus the Sabbath day meant for the most part you stayed home or very close to home. It was a day to put your feet up and relax, even to the point that meal preparation for the Sabbath was done the day before during the day of preparation. It would be like us curling up with a good book, watching movies, or bingeing on Netflix during a cold icy day that was not safe for us to venture out and eating yesterday’s leftovers.

For Peter, John, Andrew, Simon, James, Mary, and the others this Sabbath was a day to dwell on the events of the last week. A few short days ago they remember Jesus purposefully heading into Jerusalem and the shouts of joy that filled the streets. They remember the Holy Zealousness that Jesus showed when He chased the money changers out of the temple. They remember Him stumping the chief priests and scribes when He asked them if they believed if the baptism of John was from God or from man. They remember the teachings of that final week that they had with Him.

The Apostles would remember fondly reclining in the Upper Room with Jesus where He broke bread and said it represented His body that He was giving it for them. Then He took the fruit of the vine that was symbolic for His blood that was being poured out for them. They may not have understood exactly what it all meant, but they had these memories to cling to. 

All of them were probably regretting falling asleep at the Mount of Olives, wondering if they had stayed awake would they have been able to warn Jesus and maybe He could have escaped.

Peter was probably beating himself up over how he argued with Jesus that he would never deny Him, and then it happened exactly as Jesus said it would.

Some of them witnessed the events of Good Friday, and when they closed their eyes they can picture the events and how beaten and bloodied Jesus looked in vivid detail. Those that were there at the very end, remember seeing His lifeless body as they took it down from the cross.  

They did not understand how things went south so fast. They did not understand how they were just sitting there, and Jesus was now dead. Some would have been telling themselves that they failed Jesus. They had witnessed so many Awesome things, they had been filled with hope, and now they were completely lost.

Everyone who was following Jesus had a Sabbath Day to dwell on what happened. Some probably cried all night and well into the next day, some probably paced around the house afraid of what was going to happen next, and others just sat there staring off in the distance in pure disbelief. Simply put, they were lost.

By the time Resurrection Morning came around, their joy was gone, there was no hope, and they were afraid.

When I flip through my prayer book, there are prayer requests listed for many things. Salvation of a loved one, strength for something someone is going through, a healing touch from God, freedom from depression, peace and joy to counter fear and anxiety, guidance for decisions being made, a closer relationship with Jesus, deliverance, job related things, and more.

There are things listed on my prayer list that are overwhelming for those going through them without adding the current Covid-19 Pandemic on top of it. For those looking for jobs, now is not a good time. There are lots of people who have been laid off or hours have been cut. Those who are battling health issues, Covid-19 makes things a whole lot scarier. The need for loved ones to open their eyes and ears and see that they need Jesus, feels more urgent today than it was before. Many are in isolation or self-quarantine, which can feed depression. Fear, anxiety, stress, anger, and it all can overpower our Peace and Joy. I wish I could say this is something that only impacts those who do not know Jesus, but if we are honest with ourselves it is hitting all of us.

As we stay home more and significantly limit our outings, we have more time to dwell. With how much Covid-19 is in the news, it is really easy to dwell on the risks of virus and the impact it is having on our lives, our jobs, and pretty much everything and everyone around us.

Like those dwelling on the Sabbath before Resurrection Morning, we can easily let the current events overwhelm us. Whether we have been a believer for 50 years or are still trying to figure out who this Jesus is, when our world is turned upside down, we can easily feel anxious, afraid, and lost.

Let’s see what Luke has to tell us today.

Luke 24:1-8

“24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ³ They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. ⁵ So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. ⁶ “He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying, ‘It is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’?” ⁸ And they remembered his words.”

They started their morning with the death of Christ at the forefront and then the angels appeared to them and asked them ‘Why are you looking for the living among the dead?’ ‘He is not here, but he has risen!’

They had forgotten what Jesus had taught them and were trapped in their fear and anxiety, they were lost.

Here is a little more to that conversation as found in Matthew.

Matthew 28:5-6

“⁵ The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.””

Do NOT be afraid!

Jesus is alive! His Death was not permanent! The end that the Disciples and all the others were fearing, is not the end. The events of Good Friday that they were dwelling on, was a critical step but the Story is NOT over.

Jesus is the Risen Lord and we do not need to be afraid!

Fear is one of those things that can paralyze us, especially if we have extra time on our hands to dwell on the garbage around us. Dwelling on what will happen with this Covid-19, the impact it will have on society as a whole, the missing of loved ones, the fear of getting sick, or even wondering how we will pay the bills. We fear some of these things without the addition of Covid-19, and for many the fear is only heightened with it.

One of the things Jesus’ resurrection is telling us is that we do not need to be afraid. No matter what happens on this side of Glory the best is yet to come. Through Jesus’ resurrection there is more to our LIFE than we will ever truly comprehend while still on this side of eternity.

Jesus is alive, His Resurrection tells us that we do not be afraid of anything that happens today.

Life is another thing that Jesus’s resurrection gives us. Jesus’ death is the only sacrifice that could completely wipe away for my sins, your sins, and the sins of every other person to ever live. Nothing more is needed to cleanse us, but the story does not end there.

Beyond the cross is the empty tomb. Jesus’ Resurrection, His rising from the Dead, gives all who believe that Jesus is the son of God, all who confess that He is their King, and all who choose to Follow Him… it give us New Life.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”

As a follower of Jesus, we are a new creation. This means that not only did Jesus sacrifice Himself to wipe away our sins, but He has complete cleansed us. Our old sinful self has been wiped away with Jesus’ death and a new creation, a creation that has been made Holy by the blood of Jesus. We have been re-born with His Resurrection from the dead.

We will look the same, sound the same, and for a while act the same. As the Holy Spirit works in us, as we grow in our faith in Jesus, and our knowledge of what all that means we start looking, sounding, and acting like the new creation we are. Please understand that I am not saying we are all going to start looking, sounding, and acting alike. Each one of us is a unique creation that is loved by our God and through Jesus’ resurrection we are still unique creations but we begin a life long journey of living our lives for our Lord and Savior and doing what He created us to do.

Jesus defeated death when He rose from the dead giving us New Life, so that we may have Hope in what is yet to come.

All those who spent the Sabbath dwelling on the events of Good Friday had lost all hope. They thought all their hope died with Jesus and many today are worried that Hope is running out.

What I want everyone to hear this morning is that we really had no Hope before Jesus died on that cross. We had no hope of ever earning our way into eternity by following a bunch of rules that we could never keep. Our Hope comes from the sacrifice on that cross followed by the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Without His death we would still be sinners and without His Resurrection we could not become that new creation. We would be Lost.

John 14:6-7

“⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.””

Through Jesus’ Resurrection we have been granted access to the one and only path to Heaven, He is the only truth that can set us free, He is the only way to a New Life on this earth and for all of Eternity.

Through Jesus we are Children of God, we are loved, chosen, forgiven, and redeemed. No matter what we are facing, if we have repented of our sins and have chosen to follow Jesus, we are not alone. Our God, Our Lord, Our Savior, is with us always.

Our Lord is the one and Only Risen Lord!

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life!

He went through all of this to give you an opportunity to be a part of His Family. All out of His Love for You!

If you do not know where you are going to spend eternity, if you have yet to repent of your sins and commit to following Jesus, I want to give you that opportunity now. Faith in Jesus is the Only way to be forgive and to have eternal life in Heaven. You cannot earn it on your own. Mohammed or Buddha cannot give it to you. It is only through Jesus’s death and Resurrection that you can receive it. If you have not put your faith in Jesus and would like to take that first step today, please repeat after me this simple prayer.

Jesus, I am a sinner. I believe that you died on the cross to pay for my sins. I believe that you rose from the dead to give me new life. Jesus, I repent of my sins and ask for you to come into my life. I put my trust in you. Thank You Jesus, Amen.

God Bless,

Robert