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[0:00] Well, good morning again, and welcome to faith. We're so glad that you're here this morning. He is risen. Amen. This is a glorious day that we think about.

[0:12] Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came to the earth, became a human being on our behalf, and He grew up and ultimately one day was led to a hill.

[0:25] And on that hill, He was placed upon a wooden cross. And there, Jesus died on our behalf. The last few weeks, we have been unpacking the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross.

[0:40] And today, we're going to be looking at the results, the results of what Jesus accomplished when He was talking about when He was forgiving the crowd for they didn't know what they were doing, when He was telling the thief on His side that today He would be with Him in paradise, when Jesus said that, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?

[1:07] He was undergoing the penalty. He was experiencing the penalty of being separated from His heavenly Father on our behalf.

[1:17] And when Jesus looked down and looked at His mother and said, Behold your son, speaking of John the Apostle, and when He looks at John and said, Behold your mother, He was thinking about family.

[1:28] He was thinking about His earthly responsibilities. And then when Jesus said, like we went over last week, one word in the Greek, It is finished.

[1:41] And we know that Jesus had accomplished everything, every prophecy so far that was spoken of Jesus in the Old Testament and the New Testament was fulfilled. Jesus said, It is finished.

[1:53] And then this morning we are celebrating the fact that He is risen. Now the priests, they got rid of the one who spoke with such authority.

[2:06] The Pharisees, they got rid of the one who revealed their life of sin. The authorities got rid of the one who had raised tumult with the people, or so they thought.

[2:20] Peter was boastful before. But broken now. Joseph of Arimathea was cowardly before, but now courageous.

[2:33] And as for the setting, and as for the scene, I believe we're going to see this morning the impact that it had upon the women. And there are so many ways we could go with this message this morning about the resurrection of Jesus.

[2:49] We could look at all of the disciples, those who were followers of Jesus, and how they had left Jesus. But I believe what we see is the devotion in the menial.

[3:01] And what we see is these women were so devoted to their Lord and their Master that what they're doing on the way to the tomb that early that Sunday morning is they were doing a menial task that they were not able to do prior to His being buried because it being the Sabbath.

[3:23] And doing that would have been work on the Sabbath. They had to wait until the Sabbath was over. And on the first day of the week, that Sunday morning, they are on their way to the burial place with the spices to anoint the body of Jesus.

[3:37] And so here they are on the Lord's Day, very early in the morning. The first sunrise service was there held that Sunday morning. And I don't know how they expected to be able to get into the tomb because the stone had been rolled in front of the grave.

[3:54] But they went anyway. And so there they find the stone had already been rolled away. And the entrance was open. And the women had worried about, I'm sure, the safekeeping of Jesus' body.

[4:10] And so the first thing that I believe that we're going to see this morning is what the women remembered. And I believe what we are to remember as well. And that is to remember the words of Jesus.

[4:23] I believe it would behoove us on this side of the cross that we remember what Jesus had come to accomplish, to remember what Jesus said, and to remember that Jesus' death on the cross came as no surprise to Him.

[4:39] As a matter of fact, He had warned them. He had told them that He was going to have to die. He told them, and really in so many words, that He was going to have to pay the penalty for their sins.

[4:53] Let's turn this morning in God's Word to Luke 24. We will begin this morning with the first eight verses. And we read in verse 24, verse 1, Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them.

[5:12] And you go to the different gospel accounts, and we see the two Marys and Salome, depending upon the list that you read, we'll have others. And certain other women with them came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.

[5:27] But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and imagined their surprise when they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

[5:39] And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, and I believe this is a very important question, or something that they should have already thought about, but they had not, why do you seek the living among the dead?

[6:08] You want to find Jesus? Don't go to the cemetery. You want to find Jesus? He's alive. Why do you seek Him among the dead? He is not here.

[6:19] And let's say this together. But He is risen. And then that next word. Remember. These angels remind the women.

[6:30] Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, this is what He said, the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified.

[6:44] It didn't come as a surprise. He told them. He warned them. And then the third day, do what? Rise again. They, I'm sure, were so filled with grief.

[6:58] They were so pained in their sorrow that I'm sure that they had forgotten this promise of Jesus. I need to be crucified.

[7:10] But on the third day, I will rise again. So why do you look for the living among the dead?

[7:22] He is risen. He already told you that. So He says to them, remember. Remember. And then they remembered His words.

[7:34] The women had remembered the words of Jesus. And I believe we need to remember those words as well. When we're filled with sorrow, when we're filled with anxiety, when we're filled with questions, when we're filled with pain, remember.

[7:49] Remember. He's risen. Jesus is alive to help us today. You know what? We may feel like we're alone. We may feel like we're empty. We may feel like people are against us. We may feel like we're trodden upon.

[8:01] We may feel like we have no idea where to turn. Those times are not fun. They're painful. They hurt.

[8:11] They physically hurt. But if we remember, as these women remembered, He's risen. He's alive. And He promised that He will never leave us.

[8:23] He will never forsake us. He will never leave us alone. And we can sense His presence when we truly need it. They remembered His words.

[8:35] And that's a good question for us today. Where are we looking for Jesus? Where are we looking for hope? Where are we looking for answers? Some people look for it in the Word of God. Some people look for it in the world.

[8:46] Look for it in their jobs. Some people look for it in a bottle. Some people look for it in different places and relationships. But we need to understand that we don't find the living among the dead.

[8:59] We don't find Jesus anywhere like that. We find Jesus when we seek for Him. He is alive. And that's what the angel told the women.

[9:11] And a good question for those with loved ones in heaven. Jesus is alive. The Bible says He's sitting at the right hand of God the Father.

[9:25] And we have the promise that those who are in Christ and who have gone before us are with Him. because the Apostle Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

[9:41] So we have that promise that Jesus is alive. And the Bible said that He would take those up with Him. He was three days in the heart of the earth.

[9:53] The Bible said He would take those as well up with Him. And so that's our promise. So don't look for the Savior in the cemetery. He lives. He is risen.

[10:06] Verse 18 of Matthew 12. Excuse me. Matthew 12. Revelation 118. He says, I am He who lives and was dead.

[10:19] And behold, I am alive evermore. We need to remember the words of Jesus. Amen. I have the keys of Hades and of death. I have the keys of hell and of death.

[10:32] Jesus Christ can unlock the door. We also see back here in the great injunction is to remember Jesus said, I am He who lives.

[10:46] I was dead, but behold, I am alive for how long? Forever. Forever. More. Amen. And I've got the keys. These were prophecies concerning His upcoming death.

[11:00] We also see in Matthew 12.40, For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. This was a picture of what Jesus Christ was going to experience one day.

[11:11] So will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus was preparing His people way back for the beginning of His earthly ministry. Remember Jonah?

[11:22] He was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. So must the Son of Man be there and three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. We're also told in Matthew 20.18, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priest and to the scribes and they will condemn Him to death.

[11:47] Jesus was preparing His followers. Don't worry. This is going to have to happen. This will be. This had been prophesied from old. This is what God the Father, this is the plan the Father has for the Son.

[12:02] and they will condemn Him to death. Matthew 26.2, You know that after two days is the Passover and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.

[12:17] And the Bible said, and they remembered. Do we remember? Do you remember the first time that Jesus first spoke to you about your need for salvation?

[12:29] We're sinners. We're dead without Christ. We need Him. Let's remember back to that time. And I think it would be important for all of us to remember when Jesus first through His Holy Spirit made us realize that we were lost without Him.

[12:48] He is risen. The most important thing that ever can happen in our life is the moment that we trust Christ as our Savior.

[13:00] Because that changes everything. That changes our eternity. And everything from that point is predicated upon our new life in Christ. Getting married, having children, having grandchildren, all of this is foreshadowed by the moment we trust Christ as our Savior.

[13:20] Because everything else is worthless without that. Because everything else will perish. But those who know Christ will never experience the pain of separation from God.

[13:33] So remember His words. He is alive. And so the second thing that we see, I believe, is that we need to return to joy. Because how were the ladies as they were on the way to the tomb?

[13:45] I can only imagine. It was not a very joy-filled walk to the grave. They had felt, what was the point of all of this time we had followed Him. We thought He was going to usher in a brand new nation.

[14:03] We thought He was going to overthrow the chains of Rome. We thought He was going to be the Messiah. And so I'm sure it was a very sad walk to the tomb.

[14:17] But imagine with me, we're going to see in a moment, how they returned. Return to joy. We see in Luke 24, verse 9, And they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to the rest.

[14:34] How differently they returned. I'm sure they were trudging on the way to the tomb, but imagine how they went back. And in the different gospel accounts, we see that they returned with joy, that they had a little bit of pep in their step as they went to tell the disciples about what had happened.

[14:54] So we look at the state of their hearts as they arrived. They were saddened. They were mournful because they thought their Messiah was dead. They thought the Savior was dead and gone forever.

[15:08] And they thought the faith that they had was empty. Sad, discouraged, doubtful. Every step had said He's dead.

[15:21] They had come to anoint His body. They came to do the work of undertakers, but they found that God had already undertaken. He had already undertaken the work that He had meant for Jesus, and Jesus was alive.

[15:38] God was satisfied with the penalty that had been paid. So they came as undertakers, but God had already undertaken the greatest gift in history, the gift of life that was going to be able to be yours and mine forever.

[15:54] And imagine their change as they return. The quick step, the excited heart as they're on their way back to the disciples. You know, what a difference when we know that He lives.

[16:05] Think about our life, the difference that it makes to know that when we wake up in the morning, He's alive, and He's with us throughout the day. Imagine the difference that it makes when we can put our head on the pillow at night and not have to worry and know that He is alive.

[16:23] When we're going through the day feeling anxious or feeling sad or feeling alone or feeling empty. Lord, this week, I was going through something, and one of the scriptures, one of the portions of the Bible that I read that morning was, be still and know that I am God.

[16:54] You can't even imagine, but I'm sure you can, the difference that made for God to remind us just be still and know that He's got it all in our control.

[17:09] Know that it didn't take Him by surprise. Know that it's no big deal for Him. But we also know that because of Jesus and His life on earth is well acquainted with our sorrows.

[17:24] He had friends, He had loved ones who died. He shed tears. He knows what it's like. He knows what it's like to be not accepted.

[17:39] He knows what it's like to be rejected. He knows what it's like to be hungry. He knows what it's like to be tired. He knows what it's like to be sleepy. He knows what it's like to mourn and He's there for us.

[17:56] What a difference when you know that He lives. So let's remember that He's alive. Let's go through every day remembering that. Remember the joy.

[18:07] And I think it, for some of us, it might be years ago. It might be 40 years. It might be 50 years. For some of you, it might be a little bit longer.

[18:18] But for some of you, it may not be that long to remember the day that Jesus spoke to your heart and the day you said yes and the joy that you experience when you experience new life in Christ.

[18:29] Oh, my sins are forgiven. And I've got a brand new life. The slate's been wiped clean. That's available for each one of us today. For God so loved the world that He did what?

[18:43] He gave His only begotten Son. And here's the promise that whosoever believes in Him can have everlasting life. It's not by works of righteousness, which we have done.

[18:54] But it's by His blood, by His death on the cross, that He saved us. And the Bible says, All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

[19:04] If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This morning, whoever you are, wherever you are, wherever you're listening to this message this morning or this afternoon or in the middle of the night, if you're listening to it online, God loves you.

[19:26] Jesus died in your place. Your sins can be forgiven simply by receiving that forgiveness because Jesus said on the cross, It is finished.

[19:38] I've done all that I needed to do. And on the third day, God was satisfied and said, Come on, Jesus. Come up here. Jesus arose from the dead.

[19:50] All that it takes this morning for us here, if you have not yet done so, is to say, Lord, I know I'm a sinner. The Bible says, All sin comes short of the glory of God.

[20:03] Lord Jesus, I know I don't deserve new life, to be in heaven one day. But Lord, I trust that what you did on the cross fully paid for my sin.

[20:16] Right now, I receive you as Savior. Lord Jesus, come into my life and I follow you. That's all it takes.

[20:29] That's all it takes. Let's remember that He is alive. Return to the joy. And then thirdly, let's report it to the world.

[20:40] Let's let the whole world know. Shout it from the rooftop. Verse 9, Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

[20:52] Imagine the excitement as they said, Jesus, Jesus isn't there. We heard that He's alive. And they said, Why are you looking for the dead in the cemetery?

[21:04] Why are we looking for the Savior in the cemetery? He is alive. The Bible said Jesus appeared to them. He appeared to the rest eventually. And the rest, as we say, is history.

[21:17] What a change. They went from morticians to missionaries. So, they go to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus preparing Him for death.

[21:31] But they find out that He is alive. So, as missionaries, they go back and tell the rest He is alive. They went to the tomb with their hands full of spices, but they returned with their hearts filled with songs and their mouth filled with the good news that Jesus is not dead.

[21:52] Jesus is risen. They went to anoint a body and they returned to announce a blessing to the rest of the disciples. It's the greatest message that the world's ever heard.

[22:02] the greatest message that the world has ever heard. Now, there have been a lot of great messages that have been spread abroad.

[22:15] There have been a lot of messages, but the greatest message, the greatest story ever told is what Jesus Christ did on the cross on our behalf and rose again from the dead.

[22:33] Let's not hoard the good news. Let's shout it out to others. Jesus is alive. He loves you. He wants all of us to experience life today.

[22:49] And that's the good news that we can spread over all the world, across the world to our family, our neighbors, in the workplace.

[22:59] He's alive. God loves you. Jesus died for you. And new life is available. Past is wiped clean.

[23:10] Jesus said He would separate, God said He would separate our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. And we know based on the compass, based on the earth being round, you go one direction and you never meet the other if you're going that way from east to west.

[23:27] And so what He promises is when we trust Christ as our Savior, He forgives our sin, removes all of that handwriting against us, all of the, all that we've done is gone, is cleared away.

[23:43] So as we conclude this morning, we think about the need of those to whom they spoke. Think about the disciples. Think about what they were going through.

[23:54] You imagine what they were feeling because they had forsaken Jesus. Imagine Peter, the one who said, Jesus, I'll never leave your side, I'll never forsake you. The one that before the rooster crowed had denied Jesus three times.

[24:08] Didn't want to be identified with Jesus. And cowardly wasn't there when they brought Jesus there to the cross like the others had, was probably watching from afar.

[24:22] They needed to hear the good news. What about the rest of the disciples? They needed to hear the good news. Poor black, poor backslidden Peter, heartbroken John, a discouraged, doubting band of disciples.

[24:40] And we know this morning that the risen Christ will meet your need. What is your need today? Whatever it is, he is enough.

[24:52] he will meet that need. All we need to do is trust Christ as Savior. He is Lord.

[25:02] He is God. He was God in the flesh, lived as a human being, and hung there upon the cross as a human being, but also as eternal God.

[25:17] So he was able to pay an eternal sin debt for us. So when he said, it's finished, it really was finished. Salvation for mankind was complete.

[25:29] And all that we need to do is to receive that pardon, to accept that pardon. The pardon's available to all. But as we heard a few weeks ago, the pardon may be available to all, but the pardon is only as good as when we receive it.

[25:46] It's available to everyone, but when we say, yes, I'm a sinner and I receive that pardon by trusting Christ and my Savior, that's when it's appropriated in our life. That's when it becomes real for us.

[25:58] The risen Christ will meet your need. Let's pray. Our Father, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place.

[26:12] you have given to us the opportunity to trust him. And Lord, I pray this morning that you would be preparing us to remember what you have said to us, to remember that you want us to return to you.

[26:35] As a Father, this morning we ask that you would be with us in a mighty way. Father, be with each one here this morning. Maybe if there's any who are listening to this message that need to trust Christ as their Savior, dear Lord, we ask that your Holy Spirit would open their eyes, open their heart to receive your word today.

[26:57] Father, if there's anyone this morning hurting, anxious, feeling alone, Lord, I pray that you would be able to be there, make your presence known to each one this morning.

[27:14] Father, we will thank you, we will praise you for your mighty acts. We pray this in Jesus' name.

[27:24]  Amen.