He Arose!

“Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of a rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.” (Matthew 27:57-60)

   British Major General Charles Gordon (Also know as Chinese Gordon, and Gordon of Khartoum) was visiting Jerusalem in 1882 and as he was walking by a bus station he looked up to the hill that was behind it and marveled at how much it looked like a human skull. He asked the local Arabs if the hill had a name and he was told that it was called Skull Hill. Further examination found that there was a garden nearby that dated back over 2000 years that included an empty tomb where there was no evidence of ever having held a dead body. This garden is now administered by the British Bible Society. When I visited this site in 1983 we were told that although they couldn’t say for sure this was the tomb where Jesus was buried or whether Skull Hill is the Skull Hill (Golgotha) mentioned in the Bible they could say that wherever that tomb is it is exactly like this one; It is empty!

    “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lighting, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.” (Matthew 28: 1-3)

   Don’t you wish you could have been there? Those mighty Roman soldiers who are supposed to be guarding the body of Jesus from being stolen by those wimpy disciples are laying prostate on the ground, shaking with fear, and are acting like “dead men!” Isn’t that awesome? It doesn’t matter what kind of odds you are facing. God is the one who is in charge, and when He purposes to do something, no plan of man can thwart it. (Even if his name is Pilate and he is Governor of Judah or he is Caiaphas and is the High Priest of the Jewish people.)

   “But the angel answered and said to the women, ‘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. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold I have told you.’ So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.” (Matthew 28: 5-8)

Wow! “He is risen, as He said” How many times did Jesus tell the disciples that he would die and rise again in three days? At least three times: (Matthew 20:18-19, 17:22-23, 16:21), and probably other times that were not written down. He knew what God’s plan was because He was perfectly attuned to the plans of His Father. “that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they  also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:21)

   So the question before us today as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter morning is this: Do you really believe that Christ died on a cross for your sins and that He is reigning in heaven today and that He is coming back to take you to heaven to live with Him and the rest of the saints for eternity? 

1.    If you do, you are saved (born again) and you can live whatever remains of your time on earth with the certainty that you are Christ’s child and He has a plan to use you for His church and for His kingdom. Are you living for Him? Are you making a difference in the lives of your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or strangers you meet? If not, start today! It is never too late to be obedient to God’s Word. 

2.    If you do not believe this, what will it take to for you to accept this marvelous gift that God is offering you? Perhaps you are a skeptic like Lee Strobel was when he set out to disprove the truth of the gospel but ended up writing the book, The Case for Christ. (Which has now been made into a movie and can be seen on Netflix or DVD.) If you are a skeptic I encourage you to check out the movie or the book. Or you can do it the old fashioned way: Read the Bible for yourself and see what Jesus has to say to you through His words and actions! Start with the book of John. Seek out a godly pastor or layperson and study the Bible together. See for yourself that Jesus, the Son of God, is who He says He is.

Jesus said: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:3)

   Jesus has had over 2000 years preparing a place for those who believe and follow Him. You can not imagine what He has and is still preparing for His children to enjoy in fellowship with all the other believers from “ever nation, tribe and tongue, and people!”

PRAY:

1.    Thank You Lord Jesus for dying on that “old rugged cross” for my sins and for adopting me into Your family with all the rights and privileges of a son or daughter. 

2.    I know that my salvation was bought and paid for at a tremendous cost of pain and suffering and that all my sins past, present, and future have been forgiven.

3.    Help me to be obedient to the Holy Spirit who lives within me and to be quick to respond to the needs that others, who You have put into my life, to serve and to make sure they know You also.

4.    Help me to spend time with You every day in prayer and in the reading and meditating on Your precious Word, the Bible.