Today, across the world, people are celebrating Jesus as the Son of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who is victorious over death and is alive forevermore! Yet we do that every time that we gather together with fellow Christians around the Lord’s Table? Each time we take the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim that we believe Jesus died for us, and that He is coming again. In so doing we serve a risen Saviour, and we look forward to that day when He comes to take us home.
The Apostle Paul said, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing (2 Timothy 4:7).
I love the life that I’ve been blessed with and look forward to serving God for many more years, yet I still look forward to the day when I can see Christ Jesus face to face. Death is to be anticipated, not feared. One of these days it’s inevitable that my body will wear out, just the same as everyone else’s will, but the wonderful thing is, that because Jesus is my Saviour and Lord, I’m ready to go when I’m called.
One of the things that we learn in this life is that time never stands still, no matter how much we might want it to. The chief priests and Pharisees found that out. After they had crucified Jesus they came to Pilate and said, “We remember that while He was still alive that deceiver said, ’After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that He has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." (Matthew 27:63-64). "Take a guard," Pilate answered, "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard."(Matthew 27:65).
They believed that God, who created the world and everything it contains, could be thwarted by the stone that they rolled across the tomb’s entrance. Can you imagine the God who created the power of the atom being stopped by a few Roman soldiers armed with swords & spears?
Matthew goes on to say, "There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook & became like dead men." (Matthew 28: 2-4). How amazing! God spoke and instantly an angel descended, the earth was shaken, the stone rolled away, and the soldiers dealt with. The stone was not rolled away for Jesus to get out. He was no longer in there anyway. It was rolled away so that those coming could see in.
You see, the chief priest and Pharisees were trying to stop the inevitable. They were trying to seal up the Son of God. But there was no way in the world they could succeed in doing that. Sometimes it seems as if people are still attempting to seal up Jesus still by putting Him in a little corner of their lives and saying, "Lord, you’re welcome to stay as long as you don’t interfere by trying to change the way I think or act or speak. yet the truth is that this life is a preparation for eternity - an eternity in which we will either be amongst the saved or the lost forever.
The message of Easter is that nothing can ever stop the inevitability of God. His desire will be performed. We believe that because the tomb is empty and Jesus Christ is alive. Even though I wasn’t there, I believe in the resurrection with all my heart. Throughout the years I’ve heard the testimony of those who were there and I have read their accounts of all that took place, and I believe them. I wasn’t there when Jesus rose from the dead but I believe it with all my heart, and I have two good reasons for believing that He arose. Firstly, I believe in the resurrection because eyewitnesses have told me that it is true. Paul said, "for what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time . . . Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also, as one abnormally born. (1 Corinthians 15: 3-7).
I believe it because the Apostle John, speaking of the events following Jesus’ death and resurrection, said, these are written that you may believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31). In other words, I believe it because reliable people who saw what happened passed it on.
But maybe more important than that, I believe it because our world is greatly different because Jesus is alive. Paul said, "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (1 Corinthians 15:14). We wouldn’t be here this morning if Christ were not alive. Thousands of Christian organisations wouldn’t exist today if Jesus were not alive. The fact that sin and death have been conquered and victory has been won makes our world different, and it’s all because Jesus is alive.
The resurrection also changes the way we look at life and death. When God talks about death in the Scripture He uses different words than we use. Jesus talked about death as being like a wedding. Paul write about a bride and bridegroom in comparison to Christ and the Church, saying that it’s: like a bride waiting for the coming of the bridegroom and that glorious moment when she will be with Him forever (Ephesians 5: 22-23).
God also says, "Death is like going home." One of the greatest phrases in our language is going home. At the end of a busy day it’s wonderful to be able to say, "I’m going home." It’s time to go home to relax and feel the love and warmth of home, and to know that you have a share in all that happens there. And God says, "Dying is like going home again."
In this Easter message I wanted to paint a beautiful picture of an empty tomb and to lift up the glorified Christ and say, "That is what it's all about." The problem is that I might paint a picture of false hope. I might tell you that it’s all beautiful and it’s all wonderful because it is Easter, and that everything is going to be alright, yet never tell you that some will go to be with Christ in heaven and some won’t. You see, some homes are peaceful while others are not. Some weddings succeed whilst others don’t. Whilst the cross is a blessing for those who come and kneel at its foot and accept its sacrifice, it’s a curse for those who turn away refusing to repent, and refusing to accept Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
The empty tomb is the greatest source of joy for those who know Jesus as Lord and Saviour, but it’s the greatest source of judgment and condemnation for those who refuse to.
You cannot stop the march of God. Not with stones in front of tombs or seals or soldiers. You can’t stop what God is trying to do in our world because in the end God will conquer all. He will be victorious and you will either be on His winning side or you won’t.
That is the message of Easter. God is preparing us for something much better. He’s preparing us for a new world. A better world. A greater world.
Our God marches on. He’s alive this morning and He comes to reach out to everyone who chooses to respond to His invitation with repentant and open hearts.
Amen
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