Sad Seekers, Empty Tomb, Great Joy

Q: What does the Bible say about the resurrection of Jesus?

The Bible affirms the resurrection of Jesus as a pivotal event that guarantees believers' hope and future life, as seen in Matthew 28:6. The resurrection of Jesus is foundational to the Christian faith. In Matthew 28:6, the angel proclaimed, 'He is not here; for he is risen, as he said.' This event is not just an isolated occurrence but fulfills numerous prophecies, establishing Jesus as the Messiah. The resurrection assures believers that death has been defeated and promises eternal life to all who trust in Him. The hope of resurrection is further emphasized in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, where Paul writes about Christ being the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, reinforcing the hope of resurrection for all believers.

Q: How do we know the resurrection of Jesus is true?

The truth of the resurrection is supported by Scripture, eyewitness testimonies, and its transformative impact on believers' lives. The resurrection of Jesus is affirmed through the testimony of many witnesses. The Gospels recount multiple encounters with the risen Christ, demonstrating that it was not a singular event seen only by a few. For instance, in Matthew 28:8-10, the women were instructed to tell the disciples of His resurrection and were later commissioned by Christ. The profound change in the disciples—from fearful individuals to bold proclaimers of the gospel—further validates this truth. Their willingness to suffer and die for their faith underscores their conviction that they encountered the risen Savior. Additionally, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah provides a theological foundation for the resurrection.

Q: Why is the resurrection important for Christians?

The resurrection is crucial for Christians as it confirms Jesus' victory over sin and death, assuring believers of eternal life. The resurrection is vital for Christians because it affirms core tenets of the faith: the victory over sin, the reality of eternal life, and the assurance of the promises of God. Paul highlights this in 1 Corinthians 15:17, stating that without the resurrection, our faith is futile. The resurrection serves as the definitive proof that Jesus is who He claimed to be—God’s Son. It assures believers that their sins have been atoned for and encourages them to live in faith, knowing they, too, will be resurrected. Furthermore, it provides a basis for hope in trials and suffering, as believers can look forward to a future resurrection and eternal communion with Christ.

Q: What does fear not mean in the context of the resurrection?

‘Fear not’ signifies the assurance believers receive from the resurrection, emphasizing that they need not fear death or condemnation. The phrase 'Fear not' recurs throughout Scripture, particularly in the context of the resurrection of Jesus. The angel's proclamation to the women at the tomb, ‘Fear not ye,' (Matthew 28:5) reassures them of the reality of the resurrection and the absence of the risen Christ from the tomb. For believers, this assurance eliminates the fear of death, sin, and judgment, affirming that Christ's resurrection grants them victory over these fears. It reflects the comfort and confidence believers can have, knowing that they are secure in Christ. Romans 8:1 conveys this sentiment, reassuring believers that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, a profound source of peace amidst life's uncertainties.

Q: How does the resurrection show God’s love?

The resurrection exemplifies God's love by demonstrating His power to redeem and provide eternal life to sinners through Christ. God's love is profoundly displayed through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which embodies the ultimate victory over sin and death. In Romans 5:8, Scripture teaches, 'But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' The resurrection confirms that Christ's sacrificial death was accepted by God, paving the way for forgiveness and reconciliation. By raising Christ from the dead, God assures believers that they, too, can be resurrected to new life. This promise reflects God's loving desire for intimate fellowship with His people, illustrating His willingness to sacrifice His own Son for their redemption and eternal joy.

That's good. And he will, as
he said, and I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go,
I will come again and receive you unto myself. But where I
am, you may be also. You believe in God, believe also
in me. He said, Lo, the last thing he
said, Hello, I'm with you, always, even at the end of the world.
All right, go back to Matthew's gospel with me. And today, and it is called today,
we will be with him in paradise. Our story this morning is of
some women who came looking for something, looking for someone. And they looked into the place
where they thought he should be and found it empty. They looked into an empty place
and went away filled. The story of our Lord's resurrection. John wrote this in the Revelation. he wrote what he heard and saw. John said, When I saw him, I
fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon
me, saying unto me, Fear not, I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth, and was
dead And behold, I'm alive forevermore. Amen. So that is our subject. He is our subject, a risen Lord. All the hopes, all the hope,
all the peace, all the comfort, all the assurance of saints,
of believers, depends on him. That he who was crucified and
died arose, and now he ever lives. And he said, and because he said,
because I live, ye shall live also. You see, all our hope depends
on this one, that he does indeed live, first and last. Alpha and Omega. This is why
the Apostle Paul preached The apostle Paul brought this up
nearly every single recorded public message in the book of
Acts. If you'll read his preaching throughout the book of Acts,
nearly every time he opened his mouth, he talked about Christ
who arose, the risen Christ. This was what Peter preached
at Pentecost, didn't it? A risen Lord. Well look at it
with this story verse one. And the end of the Sabbath. That just really struck me the
first time. We just looked at how he laid
in the grave on the Sabbath day and now here it plainly says.
In the end of the Sabbath. As it began to dawn—for he is
about to dawn—toward the first day of the week, the first. He was the last, now he's first,
isn't he? Came Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary to see the Separatists. Brother Gay pointed this out
to me. Last week, we read this. He said, if you notice how the
Lord, how God's Word mentions Mary Magdalene, keeps mentioning
Mary Magdalene first. And it says, and the other Mary. The other Mary. You know, one
of the other Marys was the Virgin Mary, used to be the Virgin Mary.
But the Lord mentions Mary Magdalene first. the merciful Lord and Savior
of sinners. You see, that's why he came.
He said, I am come to seek and to satisfy those that are sick. He makes first mention. And the
one he first appeared to was a chief of sinners. That's good
news right there, isn't it? Mary Magdalene, proving to us
once again that this man received a sinner. He's friends. Savior of sin. Well, they came
to see the sepulcher. They came to view the grave.
That's what we do. And there's nothing wrong with
that. They loved the Lord. My pastor, I heard him preach
my brother's funeral. And I heard it again on tape
recently. And he reminded us all that though
this body we live in is not really us. It's not really us. It's a tabernacle. However, it's
all we ever know. And so that's why we don't desecrate
the bodies of our loved ones. And that's why there's nothing
wrong with. There's nothing wrong with visiting
the grave. And they're not there, but that's
the body that we held. And held us. That we spoke to,
that's the one we saw. We're flesh. Lord knows our Frank. Knows our Frank. And that body,
we're going to get back in it. That same body. Yeah, only So that's a good reminder they
came to view at least the sepulcher they had no hopes of viewing
the body. And that they came to see the
sepulcher as we do we're prone to do view the grave and verse
two it says behold there was or had been before they came
there was a great earthquake. For this is what caused the earthquake,
the angel of the Lord. This is Gabriel, so to say. This
is the one who came to announce to Mary and to Zachariah and
Elizabeth. Of the birth of the Christ child
and his forerunner, this is the one God sent first, and now he's
come in the last at the last. He announced the birth of the
Christ, now he's Announcing the. Rebirth, if you will, or the
resurrection of the Christ, the angel of the Lord, not the only
one, but. This is the one the Lord sent
a chief messenger and his coming, his very coming, this angel of
the Lord, his descent from heaven was so great, was so powerful
that here's mere dissension or coming. And to roll back that
door, his landing upon earth, and that door, it took, it was
a great door, big stone. It, you, you men, it would take,
it would take a dozen of us men to roll this stone over that
door. That's what it took. 10 or 12
men. And Pilate, Pilate was wanting
to make that sure. He didn't just put two men there.
If there was going to be a bunch of disciples come get that body
and take it away, they're going to have to be at least a bunch
of soldiers to keep them from doing it. So he sent at least
10 or 12, Kelly, 10 or 12 strong men. And it took at least that
many to roll this door, this stone over the door and cover
whatever. Well, when one angel, the angel
of the Lord, Gabriel, came and hit this planet, and took by
himself, one angel, mind you, took by himself, rolled that
stone away from that door, and poof, it hit the ground, poof,
and he sat on it. And there he sat. There had been
a great earthquake. One angel had set foot on the
earth, just one. It says his countenance, it describes
this angel, verse three. His countenance was like lightning. It's like lightning, just blinding
in its brilliance and its power. Lightning hit a tree right in
front of our house, about 50 feet from our house. Big old
poplar tree. And I was in the house. I wish
I'd have seen it. I was looking out the back door.
And it happened out the front door. Maybe it had burned me,
I don't know. But it was, I thought it hit
the house. And sure enough, it was so powerful,
it just shredded that tree and it ran underground into my garage
and bursted the concrete in my garage. Boom! Big hole out of
the floor in my garage. Lightning. This is this angel. is very countenance everything
about him was like lightning. God's not given to figures of
speech this this heavenly celestial this heavenly being was that
brilliant and amazing countenance rain but why does not. Christine
white wider than a fuller could make. And it says in verse four, for
fear of him, all ten or twelve of those men, those keepers,
those big, strong Roman soldiers, all twelve or however many there
were, it may have been more, were trembling all over, violently
trembling. And were lying on the ground
like dead men, their faces had turned as white as The angel's
clothing. Just like dead men shaking violently
on the ground. Now this is just an angel. You see that that little petty
prince pilot had sent his biggest and best men, remember, to guard
the tomb. He set a watch. He made sure,
all right. Nobody's getting in. Oh, but
somebody's coming out. That no one would come and steal
the body of Jesus. You just don't know that you
just don't have a clue. And he that said it in the heavens.
Shall I sent your best man to guard this? I'm going to send
one angel. In the end of the earth, the
Lord talks about sending four angels to the four corners of
the earth to wipe it up. Just for. Well, he that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh. Pilate sent his watch there to
make it sure. Make it sure, sure as you can.
And they tried. And when it was time, in the
fullness of time, just like the first time Christ came, when
it was time after three days, according to Scripture, the dawn
of the first day, the end of the Sabbath, the dawn of the
first day, a new beginning, the same one who spoke thousands
of years before, and said, Let there be light. The same God. Are you listening? The same God
thousands of years before, before there was anything. When darkness
covered the face of the deep, the same God who said, Let there
be light. And that glorious orb went into
the skies, the sun, to lighten and brighten and illuminate all
things. That same God spoke again. concerning this same darkness
that had covered the face of this earth. The same God said
to his angel, roll back the door, the sun is about to shine. The
sun of righteousness has arisen with healing in his way. The earth has never seen anything
like this, that holy thing. The angel of the Lord, that chief
messenger, came with a mighty condescension. And we tried our
best to describe him, his countenance, his powerful person and his presence,
struck fear in the mightiest men known to man. Struck absolute
fear. Now, as I said, this is just
an angel. What of his Lord? Now, I guarantee you, people. See, he rolled back the stone,
this angel. He has come. He's the forerunner
of the one coming out. Like John. John was the greatest
man born of woman. He said, I'm not worthy to tie
his shoes. There cometh one mightier than
I. And an angel would have said
the same thing, Nancy. There cometh one. I look like lightning. His countenance is as the sun
shineth in its strength. I know this happened. It doesn't
say it, but I know it, that that angel, when he rolled back that
door and out came his Lord, he hit the dirt. That angel, whose
countenance was as lightning, he hit the dirt before this one
mightier than him. Well, these men just trembled
in the presence of this angel. What of the Lord? And this angel, you see what
the Lord did, he set this angel down, the Lord came out of the
tomb, I don't know where he went, he went somewhere. And he had
this angel sitting, what's he done? The Lord set his watch. The Lord set his watch. Do you
know the scripture says he giveth his angels charge over you? I want you to listen to this.
I want you to listen to this, OK? This one angel, the Lord
sent him to set watch over that tomb. Nobody's getting in now.
Robin, nobody's getting in now except by divine permission,
right? And the Scripture says he's given
his angels charge over you, set watch over you. The Lord said,
Make it as sure. As I can. Make them assure. I want you to turn with me, I
hadn't planned this, but Second Kings, Chapter six, maybe somebody
hadn't seen this before. Second Kings, Chapter six, this
is a wonderful story. Yeah, there it is. Second Kings,
Chapter six, Elisha was a prophet. King Assyria was out to get him.
King Assyria knew that Elisha was a reason. The Lord using
Elisha was a reason why Israel was safe. Anyway, King Assyria
sent his men on chariots and horses to get Elisha. One man, mind you. Look at it. And he said in verse thirteen,
Go find out where he is, spy where he is, and that I may send
and fetch him. Go get him and bring him here. And it was told him, saying,
Behold, he is in Dotha. So he sent horses and chariots
and a great host. How many? A great host. A thousand soldiers, maybe. Huh? Look at it. He said they
came by night and compassed the city about. And the servant of
the man of God, Elisha's servant, his house servant, A butler or
whatever, whoever he was. It says, he came out early in
the morning. Servant rose early and gone forth,
went outside to gather some wood or some water. And it says, behold,
a host accomplished the city, both with chariots, horses and
chariots, and his servant, you know, he ran back into the house.
Oh, master, alas. It means he was scared to death. Alas, my master, what are we
going to do? Kind of like the Israelites of
old when they were up against the sea and mound in and the
chariots behind them. What shall we do? And Elisha,
like Moses, said, stand still. Look at it. Verse 16. Here's
what he said. Fear not. They that be with us
are more than they that be with them. But I don't see him. Elisha prayed, Lord, I pray thee,
open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man. And he saw, and look, behold,
the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about
one man. One man. Fear not. Don't you stand, don't
you wish we could get a hold of this? Fear. Fear not. What gives us fear? What causes
us fear? The slightest thing. Oh, my. One angel. One angel. Well, the angel, back in our
day, the angel answered. You know, this is the way God's
Word speaks. He answered. Well, nobody asked
him anything. Well, you know what they were thinking. God look upon the heart. They
were fearful, the angel answered and said unto the women. These
women. Now look at this. He said unto
the women, he spoke to the women, fear not ye. Fear not ye, for I know that
ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. Fear not ye. The Lord leaving
no doubt that he's talking to these women. You. I'm talking
to you. He was this. The Lord, the angel
of the Lord, had these strong men, these mighty men, these
noble soldiers and all that held at bay, had them on the ground
trembling, shaking, fearful like dead men. And he held out his
hand to those poor women, those poor little old women, and said,
you, you, I'm talking to you. Fear
not you. I'm talking to you, not them. They need to be afraid, but not
you. Fear not ye. I know, I know you,
that you seek in this one who was crucified. I know you. Why
do I know you? Because the foundation of the
Lord stands assured. The Lord has a people and he
sent me to you. Are you getting the whole of
this? Grab me. Fear not that little word, Jeanette. Ye, who me? Yes, ye. Not them. You who are you looking
for who'd you come to say Christ crucified. This is for you. Who'd you come to see this morning?
I thought about our music program. You know, it's pretty good. We
sing pretty, you know, song. We don't have a choir at all.
I thought if people come here, they've got to come for one reason.
It's not for the music. No reflection on you, but we
just don't major on music, do we? What did we major on? What did
we do here? We preached Christ, Paul said. Christ and Him crucified. I know you. You seek Him, don't
you? This is why you came. Yes, you. Fear not. Who? Me. Yes, you. Nancy. Mary. The other Mary. Yeah, you. The
other Mary. Fear not ye. Is this why you came here? then
fear not. Fear not. You have nothing and
no one to fear. Would you listen to this? We
have nothing and no one to fear. Would I, Lord, let me listen
to this. We have nothing, nothing, and
no one to fear. Nothing, nothing. I shall not be afraid for the
pestilence by day, the arrow by night, the terror by night. Our Lord kept saying this, Barbara,
more than anything else, his disciples, fear not. Why are
you so fearful? I'm the Lord. Fear not. Fear not him which
kill of the body and after that he had no more than he can do
besides he didn't kill you anyway I don't know what I feel I'm
like a lot I won't go up your age. You live in a lascivious life
and fear it. But if not don't. I want to say I mean I don't
or do all. Hear me. Fear me. And if you
fear me, there's nothing in the world you need to fear. And if
you do fear me, you'll find out that I love you. And this perfect
love, you see, my love's perfect. It'll cast out all fear. I thought
about our grandbaby. Don't think of her often, you
know, but I thought about her. Honestly, I think of her by every
waking moment. I mean, I wake up, and I say,
what are you thinking? She says, you know what I'm thinking about. But I thought about her,
and I thought about my own daughter this way. But when you get older,
you just, you know, get more mature. Things, you know, you
understand things a little more. what's valuable anyway I thought
about her and I thought. And gave him concur and these
other. If I could do anything. If I could relieve all of her
said when you it grieves me when she cried not because it's getting
on my nerves because I grieve for her I don't want her to suffer. I hate that she's suffering.
If I could eliminate that, if I could relieve that, if I could
make her safe from all harm, I would. Wouldn't you? Jeanette, I'm not your grandbaby,
huh? Wouldn't you? If you could, but
you can't. God can, and he does. Fear not. What if somebody was out to harm
your child, would you not lay down your life, would you not
do everything within your power to protect that child? Certainly. God, Christ, and we're going
to see this, he said, all power. This is the last. He said this
in the beginning, and he's going to say this in the end. All power
is given unto me in heaven and earth. And lo, I'm with you always. I'll never leave you. That's
our Lord. Living, reigning, ruling Lord.
Fear not. Fear not. I know. I know you. You seek Christ and Him crucified.
Now, the Lord sends His gospel angel to all that look for Christ
crucified. You know that? He sends His messenger. Oh, yeah, he is an angel. The
Lord wrote to the preachers and the churches in the Revelation,
he called everyone of them an angel, didn't he? An angel of
mercy, an angel, a messenger of God, no less than Gabriel
himself. What's his message? If he's an
angel from God, he's got one message, hasn't he? He's risen. But you're not ye. And I say
ye, ye. The Lord said ye. You who seek
Christ and him crucified, the Lord says, fear not ye the law. Fear not ye the law. Oh, but
I break it. But it's been kept. Don't fear
it. You need not fear something that's
been fulfilled, right? Have you ever feared, you ever
worried about whether or not you're breaking the law? Oh my good times and think of
a illustration but. Well we'll build my house you
know the building Franklin County building inspectors one of the
most powerful men on earth you know. Right. And then he's coming to inspect. I'm getting on a bad subject
here. When he's coming to inspect inspect this little Hitler. Buddy,
if he doesn't like it, you got to please him, don't you? Every
jot and tittle, every nail. Doesn't it? Don't you? Damn. And you fear. Is everything right? Is everything right? What about
the law of God? The law of God looks on the heart,
demands it shall be perfect to be accepted. Christ said, John,
Fear not. The angel of the Lord, the true
preacher of the gospel, says, fear not. You fear the law? Don't
need to. It's been fulfilled. Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to everyone. Oh, but I'm broken.
I'm the worst. You're at the top of the list.
He came for the chief of sinners, the chief lawbreaker. He's the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. All manner of sin shall be forgiven.
That's good news that you're not going to fear the law. Don't
fear God's wrath. All I believe is going to cast
me out because I'm such a sinner. I'm such a poor excuse for a
believer. What do you reckon Simon Peter thought? Let's call
up old Simon Peter as a witness to this. OK, Simon, are you a
good example of a faithful believing Christian? I denied the Lord. I'm absolutely ashamed of myself.
What do you hope, Simon? That he said, I will in no wise
cast out. Him that cometh to me, Christ
said, I will in no wise. All the Father giveth me shall
come to thee. That's why you're here. You wouldn't have come.
He wouldn't have come if the Father hadn't given you to Christ.
He wouldn't have come. You wouldn't be here. You wouldn't
be here to see Christ and Him crucified. Had not the Father
drawn you with cords of love, had not the Father loved you,
He sent you here to see Christ crucified. That's who He sent
you here to see. Have you seen Him? Have you heard
His voice? Yeah, but He's going to catch
me out. Well, listen again. He said, All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. Have you come to Christ? Yes.
Yes, I have. How? Is that how He came in the beginning?
Yes, it is. But now what? Hold the beginning
of your confidence. Steadfast in the end. Come the
same way. How? A sinner to whom coming
all the days of your sinful life, come to Christ and say, Here
I am, just as I am, without one plea. But when you died, you
died for me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise, under no circumstances, for any reason, whatsoever, cast
them out. And if I was Pentecostal, I'd
say, somebody say amen. Oh, my. God's wrath. Don't fear, it's been poured
out. It's been expended. The rod has been broken across
the back of my Savior. There is no more rod for the
back of God's people. You fear your sins. Your sins
are going to find you out. No, sir. It says the iniquity
of Israel should be solved and it won't be found. If you're
more fit than that man that took that scapegoat out to put it
away, then you can find your sin. But I don't reckon you are.
Christ is that man, that fit man. He is that scapegoat. You
see, my sins, your sins have been laid on the head of your
scapegoat and God himself led him as far as the east is on
the way with our sin and put them away. And they're not going
to find you. There is therefore now. No. Is this the best message you
ever heard or what it's the same message you've always heard no
different no different don't fear angels don't fear devil. You know this angel you ever
thought about this this was just an angel and John on the Isle
of Patmos fell at the feet of an angel. Remember that John
fell at the feet of this glorious another angel who apparently
his his countenance was like lightning and it's his garment
as the snow and what is what who was that that angel you remember
what was said the angel said don't worship me. Don't worship me. He said I'm
of your brethren or your fellow brethren. Who was it? It may have been Stephen. He didn't recognize him. He was
a glorious being, but not to be worshipped. Don't fear angels. Some do, you know, they worship
angels more than Christ himself. And don't fear devils. Don't fear devils. They're on
chain. They're on chain. You know God
gives them a little season the scripture says a little season
but little season. He's got them in this or their
gods devils. Man do you ask me if I'm conscious
of people listening to this on sermon audio. That's a good question. I told her no I'm not I rarely
think of it and I'm preaching to you. And I don't adjust anything
I say accordingly at all. But every now and then it comes
up. I think about it. Who's going to listen to it?
And I hope they do. I hope they do. But devils are
God's devils. Somebody's going to take that
and run with it. Somebody's going to abuse that. But I don't care. Those that seem it to be something,
but what they are, no matter to me, they're going to take
this and abuse it. but they're not charging him
with him and I'm just saying what you say they must give an
account they must answer to the Lord of. Angels and devils they
can only do what he allows them to do to fulfill his purpose
no more no more. And there are. I love that story,
don't you? Pilgrim, bunions, pilgrim, progress,
where he's walking down that road and he sees ahead of him
two lions, two roaring lions. Satan, as a roaring lion, seeketh
whom he may devour. It's not possible for him to
devour God's people. It's not possible. That old pilgrim,
he was getting ready to go down that straight and narrow way.
He was straight and narrow. And on either side with a roaring
line just all scaring him to death. And the closer he got,
Mac, the closer he got, he looked. And they were on chains. They
could only come so far. No further. And he squeezed on
by. And they didn't touch him. And
he thought, what was I worried about? God's devil. Some people are
more afraid of the devil than they are. Well, they ought to
be. Their God's not as powerful as the devil. Mine is. The devil is a created being.
Well, I've got to go on. Got to go on. So the angel said,
Fear not ye. Certainly don't fear men. Don't
fear men. Fear not ye. Fear not. Look at verse 6 now. I know you seek Jesus, which
was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen,
as he said." Oh, how often does the Scripture
say, according to the Scripture, how that Christ died according
to the Scripture, or that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
How often does it say that? For ever, O Lord, thy word is
settled in heaven." When God Almighty wrote all this down,
before it ever happened, it was as good as done. Dictum actum. He said, I've spoken it, I'll
do it. Write it down. So let it be written,
so let it be done. Good as done. It was so certain
and sure, God wrote it all down, the end from the beginning, he
declared wrote it all down in a book, closed it, wrapped it
up and sealed it to the end of time. And then they're going
to open it, and every jot and tittle has, is, and shall come
to pass. That's how certain it is. God's
spoken and written word. As he said, as Scripture said,
Scripture said a thousand years before this happened, Thou wilt
not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one
to see corruption." This is what Peter preached at Pentecost.
He quoted that, Psalm 1610. He said, David's in the tomb.
You go looking for bones of David, you'll find them. You go looking
for the bones of the son of David, you won't find them. This is
a he of whom the Scripture said that he will not see corruption. And as the Lord said over and
over and over to his disciples, didn't it? Over and over and
over for three and a half years, he kept telling them, the son
of man must suffer. The son of man ought not Christ
to suffer. Yes, the son of man must suffer
and he will go. I'm going to Jerusalem and be
delivered in the hands of sinful man and will be crucified and
buried. But the third day, I will rise
again." He kept saying this to him, as he said. And the angel
said, he is not here. This is all angels do, is repeat
what the Lord has said. He is not here. He is risen,
just like he said. Can you count on the Lord? Can
you rest your soul? Can you rest your family? Can
you rest everything, all of your future, all of your hope, all
of your fear, on the Lord Jesus Christ as your foundation? Yes! He cannot lie. It's as he said. Everything. He is not here. And I thought about this. I want
to tell all that truly seek Him, I want to tell all those religious
people out in the world, and try to. that he is not here. He's not here, the living. The
angel in another gospel said, why seek ye the living among
the dead? Remember that? Don't come to
this tomb, a grave, looking for a living person. He's not here. He's not here. The living Lord
is not here. Don't look for the living Lord
in dead ceremony. You know why we don't go through
all these ceremonies? I don't dress up like an old,
old, old priest years ago and go through all these ceremonies
and chant a language that's dead, Latin. Nobody speaks Latin anymore.
Nobody speaks Latin. We might want to go through an
old Latin liturgy, maybe about, you know, throw water all over
you and go through all this stuff that's a bunch of dead. And they
don't have this old, old, everything needs to be old, I guess, to
be right. Old stone building, you know,
it's cold and dark and dead. Don't you love that story of
Martin Luther? He's crawling up those steps, kissing, kissing
those steps with what are supposed to be blood spots. The Lord walked
up a step. Story has it, Martin Luther,
a monk, Roman Catholic monk, and those old Damp, dark dungeons,
stone buildings, going through all that old ceremony and traditions
and darkness and darkness even as others. He's kissing those
blood spots, trying to appease the Lord, trying to make the
Lord pleased with him. Look at me. I'm sacrificing. Look at what I'm doing. Kissing
those blood spots. And bless God. God but God. Rich in mercy. God's going to use this one little
monk. to turn the world upside down. God Almighty sent a sunlight,
sunlight, ray of light into the heart of that fellow. He'd been
reading this book for years. Martin Luther had been reading
it for years. He could quote it. He'd read verses like in
Habakkuk, the just shall live by faith. The just shall live
by faith. He read that and didn't have a clue what it meant. And he's kissing those bud spots
trying to appease God. And God Almighty came like turning
a He said it like right like. That the story goes Martin Luther
tells you that he jumped up. Right there. and ran out of that
dark, dead stone temple into the glorious sunlight, justified
by faith. And from that day forward, looked
to Christ. Oh, He's not here. He's not here. He's not in all this dead religion
today, folks. I know it looks good and sounds
good and, you know, and all that, but He's not here. He's not in
that stuff. He's ascended, he's seated, he's
exalted, he's reigning and ruling, expecting his enemy, a living
Lord among living saints. Not dead saints, living saints. And look at this, this angel
grants permission to these poor women to see proof. He said,
he's not here, he's risen, as he said, come see the place where
the Lord lay. Come see. And as we said, they
went in, they went in the tunnel and looked. A little while later,
you know, Peter comes running, running in. And it doesn't tell us here,
but it shows, it says that his gray clothes were laid to one
side and the napkin about his head folded over to the side
of someone who's in no hurry. And controlled himself, lays
down these old garments, laid down, got up, walked down. And they went in to that tomb,
and what did they see? They went in that tomb, and what
did they see? They went in an old, dark, damp
tomb. Used to be. What did they see? Nothing. Nothing. Just as he said. They looked in and it was empty.
They looked into that tomb. Now listen to this. You'll get
a blessing. I'm not going to quit until you're blessed. All
right. They looked into that tomb, a
grave. It was a grave they were looking into, wasn't it? And
that place was meant to be morbid. It was meant to be dark. I thought,
how could they see what was in there? I know. The Lord illuminated it. They
could see clearly. It was meant to be sad. It was supposed to
be sad, dark, morbid, damp. And it was empty. I believe it
was light. They could see everything clearly.
I believe it smelled sweet. Somebody didn't smell like death. Mind you, it smelled sweet, a
sweet smelling safer, not death. You reckon? And it was gloriously, marvelously
empty. Nothing there. It's just nothing. There's nobody there, nothing
and nobody in that old place of death. And here's what I'm trying to
say, is that the Lord said, and he says it better than I can
try, he says, the Lord came to deliver them who through fear
of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. How did he
do it? An empty tomb. You need not fear
it. It's not here. And whoever you
put in that tomb, whoever you put in that tomb, we put a few
in there. We put a few in there that you love, people you love. We put them in there, those that
trusted Christ, those that came believing and died in the faith. We put them in the tomb, but
they're not there. It's not sad. No, no. We're going
to miss them. That's sad, but they're not there. They're risen, as he said. He
that liveth and believeth in me will never die. You believe
this? Who said that? He who cannot lie. They're not
there. They're not. There is. And I love you know you love
that it says they're coming with it. When it comes back. I don't fool proof that everybody
that trusted in Christ is safe and right because they're all
coming with him. Everyone don't remember that. All of the time
with it. And we'll know So he says, go quickly, go. They
went in, looked, said, no, don't hang around here, no point in
it. He didn't say this, but go quickly, leave here, go quickly.
Tell his disciples, tell his disciples that he is risen from
the dead. Go tell his disciples, go quickly. He goeth before you into Galilee,
and there you shall see Him. Lo, I told you." Everything he said up to that
point is true, and God's angels can lie. Now, if God's got His hand on
them, He sent them, right? Lo, I told you. I just told you
what the Lord told me to tell you. Is he really going to be
there? We're going to look at this Wednesday
night. I'm quitting. Wednesday night,
we're going to look at how he's going to go before us to Galilee,
and we're going to see him. We're going to see him. What's
the significance of Galilee? He said that three times. Well,
we'll see. We'll see. All right, you came seeking Christ
crucified. I hope you saw him. You want
to see a living Lord and hear him hail you? Then come with
us tonight. Hopefully. All right, Brother
Gabe. Let's turn to hymn number 62
and stand again. We'll sing verses 1 and 3. Hymn
number 62. Crown Him with many crowns, the
Lamb upon His throne. Hark how the heavenly anthem
drowns All music but its own Awake, my soul, and sing Of Him
who died for thee And hail Him as thy matchless King Through
all eternity Third verse is the last Crown Him the Lord of Life,
who triumphed o'er the grave, who rose victorious to the strife
for those He came to save. His glories now we sing, Who
died and rose on high, Who died eternal life to bring, And lives
that death may die. Okay. Okay. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Okay. Okay.

Sad Seekers, Empty Tomb, Great Joy

What does the Bible say about the resurrection of Jesus?

How do we know the resurrection of Jesus is true?

Why is the resurrection important for Christians?

What does fear not mean in the context of the resurrection?

How does the resurrection show God’s love?

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Sad Seekers, Empty Tomb, Great Joy

What does the Bible say about the resurrection of Jesus?

How do we know the resurrection of Jesus is true?

Why is the resurrection important for Christians?

What does fear not mean in the context of the resurrection?

How does the resurrection show God’s love?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

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