Would you turn back to Luke chapter
24? An overwhelming thought is that
when the Lord Jesus was placed in the tomb, he was dead. He was really dead. The God man died. And sometime during that period, he opened his eyes and lived again. And do you know
that no human eye witnessed that? He was in the tomb by himself,
the father witnessed it, the spirit witnessed it, but no human
eye witnessed this glorious event, the actual resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. But he was raised from the dead and he appeared 40 days after
his resurrection and the disciples saw the resurrected Christ. But
they didn't see the resurrection. They saw the evidence of it.
He lives. But they didn't see the resurrection.
But what is the first thing they were directed to look to by the
angels? The empty tomb. That's what I've entitled this
message. The empty tomb. Verse 1, Luke chapter 24. Now upon the first day of the
week, Sunday, very early in the morning, they, these women, came
unto the sepulcher bringing the spices which they had prepared
and certain others with them. Now these spices were for the
purpose of embalming. It was to slow down the process
of decay, to help the smell. That's why they were coming.
They believed that the Lord Jesus Christ was still in the tomb
dead. They had seen Joseph of Arimathea
take him down. They'd seen Joseph and Nicodemus
prepare his body for burial. They'd seen and watched as he,
his body was laying in the sepulcher and the stone placed over it. They saw all of this. Verse two, when they got there,
they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. Now we know
from Mark's account that they were concerned about that stone
being rolled away. They didn't know how they were
going to get it rolled away. They knew they wanted to get
back in there and put these spices in the sepulcher with our Lord
Jesus Christ, but they didn't know how this stone could be
rolled away. But we read in Mark chapter 16
verse 3, they said among themselves, who shall roll the stone away
for us from the door of the sepulcher? And what they didn't realize,
this had already been done. This had already been done. Matthew chapter 28 verse 2 says,
behold, there was a great earthquake. For the angel of the Lord descended
from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. They didn't realize that this
had already been done. So verse two, and they found
the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. Verse three, and they
entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus Christ,
they entered into an empty tomb. Now we know from verse 12 that
the Lord's grave clothes were neatly folded up in the tomb.
I love to think about him taking off his grave clothes, don't
you? He woke up and he removed that linen that he was bound
with and he folded it up neatly and set it aside and they came
in and saw the grave clothes, but they didn't see him. The
tomb was empty. And verse four says, and it came
to pass as they were much perplexed there about. They didn't know
what to think of this. Did somebody come and steal the
body? What is going on here? Why is this tomb empty? Why do
we see these grave clothes? What is going on? They didn't
have a clue. You see, they thought he was dead. They brought the
spices from embalming. They'd seen him. dead and put
into that sepulcher. Now the stone's been rolled away. It's empty. They were much perplexed.
They're thinking, what in the world is going on? Behold, verse four, two men stood
by them in shining garments. This is the angels appearing
to them. We're gonna consider a little
bit more next week about these angels, what they had to say,
but when they saw these two men, verse five, and as they were
afraid, I'd be afraid too, wouldn't you? If you saw two shining men
and you couldn't give an account for it. They were angels coming
in the body, looking like men. That's the appearance they came
in and they were shining, they were bright and they hit the
dirt. They were afraid, they didn't
know what to think. And as they were afraid and bowed down their
faces to the earth, they, the angels, said unto them, and they
asked this poignant question, why seek ye the living among
the dead? I hope we'll all take that question
to heart. Why do you seek him who lives? among the dead. Verse six, he's not here, but is risen. Exactly as he said he would.
He's not here, he's risen. Remember how he spake unto you
when he was yet in Galilee? Now on at least three different
occasions, The Lord told his disciples, I'm going to be unjustly
accused, tried. I'm going to be crucified. And the third day I'm going to
rise from the dead. He told them that. Three different
times. Now, why didn't they believe
him? Well, same reason you don't believe
when you don't believe. Same reason I don't believe when I
don't believe. You know, there's always an element of unbelief
with us, isn't there? I believe, help thou mine unbelief.
The old man never believes. The new man always does, but
the old man never does. You know, even when the Lord
was risen and appeared to him and says they saw him, they worshiped
him, and they doubted. All at the same time. These women
had heard what the disciples heard, that he was going to be
raised from the dead, but they didn't get it. Didn't believe,
and the angel said, he told you he was gonna do this. And as
a matter of fact, the Lord's enemies, in Matthew chapter 28,
the Pharisee said, this deceiver said while he was alive that
the third day he'd rise from the dead. Now you go get some
guards and watch the tomb to make sure his disciples don't
steal him away and the last day will be worse than the first.
They knew he said this. They knew he said this. They
were expecting something to happen, but his disciples weren't. And
don't you remember when he was yet in Galilee saying, now look
at verse seven, saying, the son of man must. Now that word means it's absolutely
necessary. The son of man must. It is absolutely necessary. The son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men. The Son of Man must be crucified,
and the Son of Man must be raised again the third day. That word
must is with all those three things. Now this word is so important. The Son of Man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men. Why must he? Because it's the
Father's purpose. That's the must. The Father willed
it. Him being delivered, Acts chapter
2 verse 23, Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, you have taken and with wicked hands have
crucified and slain. Now why was he delivered into
the hands of sinful men to treat him so cruelly, to nail him to
a Why? Because it was the will of God. He was no victim. He wasn't a
martyr. God's will delivered him into
the hands of sinful men. That's why he was arrested. That's
why he was betrayed. That's why they made a crown
of thorns and pressed it upon his head. That's why they ripped
out his beard. That's why they beat him with the kite of nine
tails. Because it was God's will for this to take place. Everything
that happened was according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God. That's why he must be delivered
into the hands of sinful, cruel men. And secondly, he must be
crucified. He must be nailed to a cross
and be crucified. Now, why must he be crucified? hear this, because he was getting
exactly what he deserved. That's why he had to be crucified.
He was getting exactly what he personally deserved. He deserved to be crucified. He deserved to be forsaken by
God. Now somebody says, how can you
say something like that? Because it's the truth. You see,
my sin became his sin. There's only one reason for death,
sin. My sin became his sin. He owned it as his sin. Are you saying Christ sinned? No, He never sinned. But as I
said last week, what's worse, He was made sin. My sin became
His personal sin. I deserve, what's that song somebody
sings, I should have been crucified? I should have suffered and died?
Well, I should have, but He took my place. And when he was crucified,
when he was forsaken by God, it's because he deserved it.
My sin actually, literally became his sin. I can't stand to think
about it. I love thinking about this, but
I can't stand to think about it. He actually bore my sin in
his own body on the tree. And the reason it was necessary
for him to be crucified is because the justice of God demanded his
death because my sin became his sin. The glorious thing about that
too is just as truly as my sin became his sin, his righteousness
has become mine. For he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Why must he be raised from the
dead? He must be delivered into the
hands of sinful men. He must be crucified. And he
must be raised from the dead. Why? Because the justice of God
demands it. You see, he made complete payment
for my sin. Now they're gone. And the very
justice and holiness and righteousness of God demands his resurrection. He made complete satisfaction. Now I want you to think about
this. If you're a believer, God is completely satisfied with
you. Nothing for him to be mad at. I love the way the angels reminded
them, the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful
men. He must be crucified and he must be raised from the dead
because he completely satisfied God by what he did and the very
justice of God demanded him to be raised from the dead. He made
complete satisfaction, all sin put away. And he reminded them
of this and they remembered his words. Now in both Matthew and
Mark's account, it says, come see the place where the Lord
lay. No one witnessed his resurrection
but the Father and the Spirit. No human eye was allowed to see
this glorious sight. This was reserved for God himself.
But the angels do say, I want you to look into that empty tomb. Now what does that empty tomb
tell us? The empty tomb has a powerful
message. What does the empty tomb tell us? Well, here's the
first thing the empty tomb tells us. He is who he said he is. If he's still in that tomb, he's
an imposter. All the things that he said about
himself were the biggest lie ever told. If he's still in the
tomb. If he's still in the tomb, he's an imposter and a liar and
a false witness of God. If he's still in the tomb, all
the claims he made concerning himself. But if he is not in
that tomb anymore, That means he is exactly who he said he
is. The Son of God, the Son of Man,
the God-Man, the Christ, the empty tomb validates all that
he said. If he's still in the tomb, if
he's still dead, everything he said is meaningless.
But that empty tomb says he is who he said he was. And I want
to show us, let's look at how he said that himself. Turn with
me to Matthew chapter 12. After hearing him speak in verse
38, after hearing the things he said, and he spoke really
rough to these guys. These are the people he said,
oh, generation of Vipers. How can you, being evil, speak
good things? That's verse 34. For out of the
abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Now he was speaking
to these people, calling them a bunch of snakes. And their
response was, in verse 38, the uncertain of the scribes and
of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from
thee. If you're going to talk to us
like that, give us some kind of sign to show us that you have
the right to talk to us like that. We need a sign, we need
proof. But he answered and said unto
them, an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign
and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of the prophet
Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and
three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the son of man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The sign
of Jonas. This is the proof. Me being three
days in, three days out. Turn with me to John chapter
two for a moment. This is very early in his public ministry
in John chapter two. Now this is after the Lord took
a whip. And I love thinking about this.
He went into the temple with all the money changers with a
whip. And he drove them out and overthrew the tables. Now you
can be sure that people were upset about this. This lets us
know so much about what the Lord thinks of man's religion, human
religion. He's gonna take a whip and drive
it all out. It's so evil, it's so ungodly. And they were upset about this. Him coming in with a whip and
overturning. I mean, this was messing up all the stuff they
were doing. So we read in verse 18, of John chapter two, then
answered the Jews and said, what sign show us Thalin does seeing
that you do these things? You come in with a whip and drive
everybody out. What gives you the authority
to do this? Give us a sign that let us know
you really have the right to do something like this. Verse
19, Jesus answered and said unto them, destroy this temple and
in three days, I'll raise it up. There's the sign of his authority.
You put me to death, and in three days I'm going to raise myself
from the dead. Hence the authority of the Lord
Jesus Christ. No empty tomb. If he's still
there in the grave, he's not who he said he was. I love what
Paul said in Romans 1, 3, and 4. He was made of the seed of
David according to the flesh. and declared to be the Son of
God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. I think of Peter's
great confession, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God. If he wasn't raised from the
dead, there's no validation to that claim, is there? But because
he was raised from the dead, he is who he said he was. I love the way he said in John
chapter 10, No man takes my life from me. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it up. I'm not a victim. I'm not a martyr. If I die, it's because of my
will, and by my own will, I raise myself from the dead. This commandment
have I received of my Father. Now, what did Thomas say to the
Lord? when he saw his hands and feet
and he saw he was raised from the dead, what did he say? My
Lord and my God. What does the empty tomb say
to me and you? He's the Lord. He is God. Jesus Christ is God Almighty. All of the gospel, the eternal
gospel, is rooted, and I don't know how else to say this, but
it's rooted in the historical facts of the incarnation, the
life, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now these are historical facts. I can try to prove this, I can
prove, I remember this one guy decided he was going to prove
that Jesus Christ didn't rise from the dead, and then he was
convinced after doing the investigating that he did in fact rise from
the dead, now I'm gonna be, now I believe, and nobody believed
by that. Nobody believes by having something proved to you. You
believe because God reveals himself to you. You have this reveal
that this is the very truth of God. His resurrection validates He is who He said He
is. Now, second thing, what does
this empty tomb say? It tells us that His humiliation,
His passion, His sufferings, they're now over. Never to be
again. When He was raised from the dead,
He achieved glory. and exaltation that he wouldn't
have had had he not become incarnate, become flesh, that's what that
means, become flesh. God was manifest in the flesh,
become flesh, live a perfect life, die the death on Calvary
as the sin-bearing substitute, raised from the dead. He achieved
glory that he wouldn't have had had not this taken place. But now he possesses glory as
the Savior that he could have only had by dying on the cross
and being raised from the dead. Now, don't ever feel sorry for
the Lord. He doesn't need your pity. Look
at what he... He's the Lord. And he's altogether
glorious. And the cross, let me tell you
this, I've said this several times, the cross is the whole
counsel of God. That's why I came. The cross
wasn't to clean up where Adam messed up. Adam's fall was for
the glory of the cross. The cross of Christ is everything
and the glory of his achievement is seen in his mighty resurrection
from the dead. The cross wasn't God's plan B,
trying to fix a mess. Everything that has happened,
the fall of man, everything that has happened is for the glory
of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. The cross is the most
God-like thing God ever did. And now that he's raised from
the dead, oh, the glory he has as the Savior. Thirdly, the empty tomb is a
reminder to us of who is in control right now. You see, you look into that empty
tomb and what do you see? He's not there. Well, where is
he then? He's seated at the right hand
of the Father ruling and reigning. That empty tomb tells us who
is in control right now as I speak, and the next sentence I say,
and everything else. He rules and reigns. He's seated at the right hand
of the Father. The scripture says principalities and powers
being subject to him. He is the one who is the brightness
of God's glory. and the express image of His
person who upholds all things by the word of His power, simply
by nod. You know the reason you took
the last breath you took? Because He willed it. And when
He wills it, you'll no longer breathe. He's in control of everything
and everybody as God's Christ, the Lord, sitting at the right
hand of the Father. You see, if you ever see the
empty tomb and what it really means, You're gonna see the same
thing Isaiah said. I saw also the Lord sitting on
a throne. Not pacing back and forth, worrying,
sitting, ruling, his work being finished high and lifted up. That's how you see him. That
empty tomb tells us where he is right now. He is Lord, both
of the dead and the living. Lost, if you're an unbeliever,
do you know he's your Lord? You might not know it, but that
doesn't change the fact. He's your Lord. He's in control. Your salvation or your damnation
is up to him. He's the Lord. To this end, Christ
both died and revived that he might be Lord, both of the dead
and the living. And if you're a believer, He's
your Lord. Oh, He's your Lord. You bow before
Him. He's seated at the right hand
of the Father in absolute control. Now fourth, the empty tomb speaks
of a perfect and complete atonement. The empty tomb speaks of a perfect
and a complete Atonement. Now, somebody says, what's this
thing of atonement about? You know, people say, I need
to atone for my sins, or I need atonement, I need redemption.
You know, people use that language all the time. I mean, even people
who have no idea what atonement or redemption means. What about
this thing of atonement? I need saved from God. He's my problem. It's my fault. I'm not saying he's the problem.
I'm the problem. But what I need saved from is
God. He's the one I need to be saved
from. I'm in trouble. He's holy. He's righteous. He's just. He's all powerful. I need saved from God. Not only
do I need to be saved from God, I need to be saved by God. I need to be saved from God,
I need to be saved by God. And that's where the atonement
comes in. The atonement of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now the only way I can be saved
from God and the only way I can be saved by God is if Christ
comes. I think of what Isaac said when
they're going up the mountain And Isaac doesn't know it, but
he's going to be put to death because God had said to Abraham,
take now thy son, thy only son, Isaac, and offer him up as a
burnt offering to me in the mount I tell thee of. So up they go. And Isaac says, Father, here's
the fire. Here's the wood. We got what's
needed for sacrifice, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? What a question. Where is the
lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham replies, and I believe
he knew exactly what he was saying, my son, God will provide himself
a lamb for a burnt offering. Now understand this, in this
thing of atonement, remember me and you, we need to be saved
from God. We need to be saved by God. And there isn't anything
you can bring that God would accept. God's the one who does
the providing. And that's what the empty tomb
tells us. God is the one who does the providing. Aren't you
thankful for that? Everything God requires of you,
God provides. You're not to bring anything. You're not to bring anything. And if you do, you'll be rejected. God is the one who provides. And God provides for himself. Remember, I need to be saved
from God. For God to do something for me, he's got to do something
for himself. And on Calvary's tree, he made
a way that he could be just and justify me. And the empty tomb
speaks loudly of that. Christ was raised from the dead
because He satisfied God. And God provides Himself as the
Lamb. Jesus Christ is the Lamb. So
what this empty tomb tells us of is a perfect and a complete
atonement. Christ actually put away my sin. Prove it! Look in that empty tomb. God
is completely satisfied with what he did. He put away my sin
by one offering. He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. The empty tomb is proof of a
perfect and complete atonement. On Calvary's tree, Christ completely
atoned for all the sins of all of God's elect, so that through
the blood of his cross, his atoning work, every believer is presented
right now, holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight,
in the very sight of God. That's what that empty tomb tells
us. Now this empty tomb is the fifth
thing. This empty tomb is the only thing
that satisfies my conscience. What do I mean by that? With
regard to anything I do, I don't care what it is. If I say, well,
I've got a clear conscience about that, I'm lying. No, I don't. No, I don't. Any conflict I've
ever had with somebody, well, it's their fault. I've got a
clear conscience in my conduct. No, I don't. No, I don't. With regard to anything I think,
anything I've ever done, I do not have a clear conscience about
it. I just don't. Anything that has
anything to do with me, I always feel guilty. I always have a
cloud of guilt over my head. And really, I don't even know
the tenth of it or the millionth of it. What satisfies your conscience? Somebody says, I've got a clear
conscience. No, you've got a seared conscience,
what you got. You've got a seared conscience. Your conscience doesn't
work. If it worked at all, You'd fit that man, you wouldn't even
be able to look up. So what is it that satisfies my conscience
where I can actually have a good conscience? Well, turn to 1 Peter
chapter 3. Verse 20. 1 Peter 3, verse 20, which sometimes
were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited
in the days of Noah while the ark was a-preparing, wherein
few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. Everybody else
was destroyed. The like figure, talking about
Noah's ark, whereunto even baptism doth also now save us. Not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now please listen carefully. Noah's ark. Eight people were
in that ark. Eight people were saved. Only
the people in the ark. The rest of the world was destroyed. And he says that pictures baptism. That ark was completely immersed
in that water, covered, the rain coming down, the floods coming
up, and the only place of safety, and the ark pictures baptism,
the only place of safety was in the ark, and then he makes
this curious statement, wherein baptism doth also now save us. And then he lets us know what
he's talking about. I'm not talking about the washing of the way,
the filth of the flesh. You know, there are people who actually
believe baptism saves. You go under the water and you
come up and your sins are washed away. That's crazy. To think that water washes away
your sins? You see, the water doesn't get
to the heart, does it? It might get some of the dirt
off your flesh, but you're still as filthy and defiled as ever. Baptismal regeneration, being
saved by being baptized, baptism doesn't save anybody, but what
it represents does. I love that statement, Peter
makes the answer of a good conscience, by the resurrection of Christ
from the dead. Now, what is a good conscience?
Somebody says, well, I don't feel guilty. Well, that's because
you've got a seared conscience. That's all that means. Well,
I don't feel guilty in that manner. Well, you've deceived yourself.
I don't care what it is. You ought to feel guilty about
it. I ought to feel guilty about it. Somebody says, I don't feel
guilty. Well, you've got problems then. I mean, sinful. What is it that satisfies my
conscience? There's only one thing that satisfies
my conscience. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead. You look into that empty tomb,
and a good conscience is a conscience that doesn't have anything to
feel guilty about. Not one that doesn't feel guilty,
but one that doesn't have anything to feel guilty about. That empty
tomb tells me I have nothing to feel guilty about. Christ
put away my sin. When he was raised from the dead,
all my sin washed away by what he did. And now I stand before
God without sin. And the proof of that is that
empty tomb. Now somebody's saying, did he
do this for me? Dare I believe that this is for
me? Well, Paul said this is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. If you are a sinner,
Yes, he did this for you and you have absolutely nothing to
feel guilty about. That's what a good conscience
is. It's not one that doesn't feel guilty. All that means is
your conscience is no good. It's one that has nothing to
feel guilty about because Christ Jesus put away my sin. I got
no sin. That's the only thing that satisfies
my conscience. Nothing else does. Just the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead as seen in that empty
tomb. The empty tomb tells us that
one day every believer will be raised from the dead with a glorified
body just like his. Went to a class reunion this
weekend, 40th class reunion, enjoyed it. And Lynn told me, don't say, let's
leave. We're going to do it when I say
it. And I said, why are you talking that way? She always does that.
Because I'm always wanting to be the first one to leave in
situations like that. And she said, you know, this
may be. our last anniversary, it might
be we are up to those pictures of dead people next time. You
know, they had 35 people, pictures of people we went to school with
that were dead. That's almost 10% of our classroom. And well,
I might be on those pictures next time. But you know what? That empty tomb tells me that
even if I am, I'm going to be raised from the dead one day
with a glorified body perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. I won't even experience sin.
I won't experience a guilty conscience. Perfect. Perfect in Christ Jesus. Perfect likeness to him. And
I love thinking about this. His glorified body still has
his scars. And I'm going to realize real clearly at that time, although
I won't even remember what it's like to be a sinner, I'm gonna
look at him, I'm gonna see his scars, and I'm gonna know the
only reason I'm here is because of him, and the only reason I'm
like this is because of him. I'll understand that at that
time, much more clearly than I do now. Oh, when I stand before
thy throne dressed in beauty not my own, when I see thee as
thou art, love thee with unsinning heart, then, Lord, shall I fully
know, not till then, how much I love thee. And lastly, that
empty tomb. I think of what the angel said,
come see the place where the Lord lay. Look in that empty
tomb. And that gives me my present
ground of assurance that God's never going to leave me or forsake
me. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for
us all, how shall he not freely give us all things. The next time you struggle with
assurance, quit looking at yourself and look in that empty tomb.
That's the only ground of assurance. What he did, where he is now,
what he accomplished, look in that empty tomb. That's the only
ground of assurance. If you gain some kind of assurance
because of how much you're growing, or how well you're doing battling
sin, and all that, that's a false assurance. It's a lie, and it's
a false assurance. The only assurance there is,
is what that empty tomb says. He put away my sin, and because
of what he did, God, how shall he not freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies, who
is he that can condemn? It's Christ that died, yea, rather
that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. The only ground of assurance,
the empty tomb. Those angels said, why do you
seek him who lives among the dead? Why would you seek him
in your dead heart? your dead nature, in your dead
works, in dead religion. Why seek ye him that lives among
the dead? Look in that empty tomb. What's
there? Nothing. He's risen. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
empty tomb and what that empty tomb tells us. Lord, take these words and bless
them according to your will for your glory and the exaltation
of your son. Hear this prayer for his sake.
Lord, save us. Lord, save all of us
for Christ's sake. Save us from you. Save us from ourselves. Save us by Christ. Save us by
your grace. enable us to enter in to the
reality of the empty tomb. In Christ's blessed name, we
pray. Amen. We got going. 124. We'll stand
and say 124.