I hope you'll look with me this
morning at the gospel of Luke chapter 24. Luke chapter 24,
if you don't follow along, I hope you'll listen carefully as I
speak to you on the subject of the Lord's resurrection. Now,
although we are not told from God's Word to commemorate or
set aside a certain day of the year to celebrate either the
Lord's birth or resurrection. Yet, since most folks are thinking
about this, since the minds of most people are on this subject,
I am going to deal with it myself this morning. The resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything depends upon this. But the one who is called the
Christ, who was crucified 2,000 years ago, walked out of the
grave. He arose from the dead. This is no mere idle tale, no,
as Peter said, no cunningly devised fable, no contrived conspiracy
among his believers, but fact. confirmed by many at the time,
over 400 people at one time, confirmed by God, by men, and
us, those who believe. And since he did, since Christ
did rise from the dead, it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that
all he said is true, that he is who he said he was. in the flesh. He can't be neutral
or indifferent on this. If he did not rise, then believers,
those who claim to be his disciples, are fools. And unbelievers are
wise. But if he did, if he did rise,
then those who do not believe are utterly foolish. And if he did walk out of that
grave, then all heaven, earth, and hell is in his hands. That's what he said. All authority
is given unto me in heaven and earth. Now, the Lord's resurrection
is recorded by all four gospel writers. And every word is significant. Look, first of all, at chapter
23 of Luke, verse 56. It says, "...they returned,"
that is, the women, who came to the sepulcher. They returned
and prepared spices and ointments and rested the Sabbath day according
to the commandment. The Lord Jesus Christ's body,
his human body, lay in the tomb on the Sabbath day, on Saturday. And that's significant. Every
word of God's Word is significant. It has spiritual significance.
The Lord Jesus Christ's body lay in the tomb on the Sabbath
day because the Lord Jesus Christ, as the representative of his
people, who was slain by the law, who The law demands justice,
condemnation. Christ was made sin for his people. And he lay in the grave on the
Sabbath day as a picture of those who are slain or killed by the
law, dead by the law and dead to the law. He lay in the grave
on the Sabbath day because the believer is dead to the law by
the body of Christ. The law has no more claim on
a dead man, no more claim. That's significant. There are
many today still trying to observe a day of rest as the Sabbath
in order to keep God's law or commandments. Yet Christ himself
lay in the grave on the Sabbath day as a picture of the believer's
death to the law. Now chapter 24 verse 1 says,
Upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they
came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared,
and certain others with them." First day of the week. First
day. Christ, you see, is the firstborn from the dead, the
firstfruits unto God, and so the first day of the week. Like
in the beginning when the Passover was instituted by God. God said,
this shall be the first day. The first day unto you. A new
beginning. A new beginning. That's why believers
meet on the first day of the week. That's when Christ arose.
That's when the early church met together. It's not a Sabbath
day to keep as keeping the law, but simply the day of the week
we meet to worship Christ. It's not the mark of the beast,
which so many so foolishly say. The mark of the beast is anti-Christ
religion. Anything that goes against Christ. You can keep the Sabbath day
and be anti-Christ. That's what the Jews did. That's
what the Pharisees did. They kept the Sabbath day, they
thought, perfectly, religiously, carefully, but they were against
the Christ who came and they killed him. So these came bringing
spices. Now there is much spoken of in
Scripture about these spices of spikenard, myrrh, and so forth. Very pungent, savory spices. These were spices which were
found in Mary's alabaster box of ointment which she anointed
the Lord's head and feet while she while the Lord yet lived
on this planet. He allowed himself to be anointed
then. Not that he needed these spices,
because he is a sweet-smelling savor unto God. His life was
perfect righteousness unto the Lord and sweet-smelling unto
a God in whose nostril sin is a corrupt and stinking thing.
But apparently these women came to anoint his body and never
actually anointed his body. There was a stone over the door.
But man, this is why we embalm our bodies today. We quickly
must embalm them, remove the blood and put in this sweet-smelling
liquid, because these bodies are full of sin and corrupt very
quickly, very easily, very quickly. Like it was said of Lazarus after
the fourth day, surely he stinketh. For they thought that would be
the same about the man named Jesus. So they came to anoint
his body. But no, he did not see corruption,
Scripture says. Psalm 16 says the Lord did not
suffer His Holy One to see corruption. In Him was no sin. No sin whatsoever. not like us. He was a sweet-smelling
savor in life and in death. He needeth nothing in life or
death. Well, they came to anoint his
body. In verse 2, it says they found the stone rolled away from
the sepulcher. Now, the Pharisees were the ones
who wanted this huge stone over the sepulcher, one so large that
no mere man or even few men could roll it away from the door. This
was their plan because they had heard that he said he would rise
from the grave, and so they wanted to make sure that no conspiracy
could get out, that no one could steal his body away. It was a
huge stone. It took several soldiers or slaves
or both to roll it upon this door. the door of the tomb and
seal it." Now, there are many things here concerning this stone. This stone is what man put over
the way to Christ Himself. Yet, what man shuts, God easily
opens, easily removes. Whatever obstacle men put in
the way of the truth, God must and does and must remove. On the other hand, God Almighty,
Scripture says, laid a stone himself, a chief cornerstone,
which no man can remove. Though the builders of the house,
the so-called builders of God's house, the keepers of the house,
rejected this stone, yet there it is, the head of the corner,
which no man can remove. This stone represents many things. And what God opens, no man can
shut. And what God shuts, no man can
open. Unless God Almighty removes the
stony heart from us, our stony hearts, we will not see Christ
the Savior, the Lord, the risen Lord. So this massive man-made
stone was rolled away by God Himself. In verse 3 it says,
"...they entered in, and found not the body, of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Read on. And it came to pass
they were much perplexed. The natural man is perplexed
about many things. And what he cannot reason he
does not believe. He does not believe. And we cannot
reason. God, His ways are past finding
out. And we do not look at and think
about the ways of God, the will, the purpose, the mind of God
by carnal reasoning, as if he were a man. No. They simply take
him at his word. Well, they were much perplexed.
Behold, two men stood by them in shining garments, and they
were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth. There is
so much here to be seen. As the two men, Moses and Elijah,
met with Christ on that Mount of Transfiguration where He was
transfigured, or that is, peeled away His flesh for them to see
Him as He is. Light. Light. Our God who is a consuming fire. Christ chose three disciples
to see His true glory. And two men were with Him, Moses
and Elijah, to behold His glory, to bear witness of His glory.
Well, here two men in shining garments also were bearing witness
of His glorious resurrection. And it says that seekers of the
Lord. These women were afraid and bowed
down their faces to the earth. And everyone who sees Christ
in Scripture, the Law and the Prophets, they will fear the
Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom. Bow before Him in worship. Well,
this is what these men said to these women at the tomb. It is so very vital. Listen as they speak. They said,
verse 5, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here,
but is risen. Now listen carefully. He is not
here. Why seek ye the living among the dead? This needs to
be shouted from the rooftops of most of these so-called synagogues
today. In this religious world, steeped
in religion, and dead works, and flesh, and tradition, and
sentimental services, and ceremonies, and symbolisms, and shadows,
and so forth, and not the substance. Why seek ye Christ who lives
among the dead? Why go out to a graveside sentimental
service trying to drum up some feeling of religion when He's
not in that? He's risen, exalted. Why do you
think of Him in whom we live and move and have our being as
contained in a mere building? God does not dwell in buildings
made with hands. No matter how elaborate or beautiful
they may appear, no matter how spiritual They may seem. He is not here. He is not in
this fleshly show of religion. He is not in the bread and the
wine as the Mass indicates. He is not in dead works of religion. Why seek ye the living among
the dead? He is risen. He is ascended.
He is exalted. He is seated. Remember that? How He spoke unto you? I am from
above, He said. You are from beneath. Well, down
in verse 9, verse 8, it says, they remembered his words. Oh,
may the Lord of glory cause those true seekers to remember his
word. To his word. Behold, wondrous
things from his word. And it says, they returned from
the sepulchre and told all these things to the eleven and all
the rest. Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of
James, and other women that were with them, which told these things
unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them
as idle tales, and they believed them not. Well, again, I quote
to you what Peter said. Peter said, We have not followed
some cunningly devised fable. but were eyewitnesses of His
majesty and His excellent glory. Christ is indeed risen from the
grave and ever lives to make intercession for His people. Thank you.