The Resurrection Changes Everything!

 ANCC Easter Sunday 2023, based on my book Exquisite Jesus.

Luke 24: 1-12: On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Did The Resurrection Really Happen?

Christ Predicted His resurrection. 

Even though His followers did not understand what He was telling them at the time, they remembered His words and recorded them (Matthew 16:21).

Jesus Made Numerous Appearances to His followers. 

He comforted the mourners outside His tomb on Sunday morning. 

On the road to Emmaus, He explained things about Himself from the Old Testament. Later, He ate in their presence and invited them to touch Him. 

Jesus was seen by more than 500 at one time. Some may argue that a few people could have agreed to a deception, but how can one explain the collaboration of 500 people? 

Unrelenting Faith of the Disciples

Those disciples who were once so afraid that they deserted their Lord now courageously proclaimed this news, risking their lives to preach. 

Their bold and courageous behaviour does not make sense unless they knew with absolute certainty that Jesus had been raised from the dead. 

Ten of them were martyred. John died of old age after an attempted execution, (the theologian Tertullian reported that John was plunged into boiling oil but miraculously was unscathed).

The growth of the Christian Church Confirms the Resurrection. 

Peter's first sermon, which dealt with Christ's resurrection, stirred people to receive Him as their living Saviour (Acts 2:41). 

That group of believers has multiplied until now it reaches around the world. Today, there are 2.3 billion believers around the world. 

The Testimony of Hundreds of Millions of Transformed Lives.

Many have been delivered from addictions. 

The destitute and despairing have found hope. 

Broken marriages have been restored. 

The most conclusive proof for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that He is living within believers today in all of His resurrected life and transforming power. 

The Resurrection Sets Christianity apart. 

No other religious leader has broken the power of death and conquered sin. 

The empty tomb is also supported by the historical reliability of the burial story. New Testament scholars (both Christian and non-Christian scholars agree that the burial is one of the best established facts about Jesus. He died. He was buried. Beyond dispute! 

Inclusion of Joseph of Arimathea as the One Who buried Christ. 

Joseph was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. He’s well known. Too well known for a fictitious story to be circulating which included him for this not to have been challenged by him, other authorities or his friends if it were untrue. He buried Jesus along with others. 

The disciples could not have circulated a story about him burying Jesus unless it was true. 

Linguistic Links in the Biblical Account. 

The burial account and empty tomb account have grammatical and linguistic ties, indicating that they are one continuous account. 

Therefore, if the burial account is accurate the empty tomb is likely to be accurate as well. 

Further, if the burial account is accurate then everyone knew where Jesus was buried. 

Mary, Peter and John All Went to The Same Tomb. The other gospels bear this out too. 

If they were in the wrong place one of them would have noticed! 

If the tomb had not been empty, it would have been evident to all and the disciples would have been exposed as frauds at worst, or insane at best. 

There Was No Shrine

There was a tradition that meant that tombs often acted a shrines for those who were grieving. 

Tombs became places where shrines were set up to venerate the dead, especially holy men, rabbi’s teachers or hoped for Messiah’s. 

Jesus' tomb was never venerated as a shrine. There were at least fifty such sites in Jesus' day. 

There was no such shrine for Jesus; His bones were not there.

The Empty Tomb Was Discovered by Women. 

This does not seem this much of an issue today. The testimony of women in first century culture was seen as worthless.

This tells us two things: 

Firstly, Jesus treated women with utter trust and respect during His lifetime and after His resurrection. He raised their profile in society. 

Secondly, if a myth, a deliberate lie were to be propagated by some subversive group then the tale would begin with the male disciples discovering the empty tomb, seeing Jesus first. 

The fact that women were the first witnesses to the empty tomb can only be explained if they were indeed the first to witness this. 

It is recorded this way in the Gospels and that quirky fact gives historical credence to the resurrection account.

Five Things The Resurrection Gives You

The fact of the resurrection of Jesus gives you five things that those who deny Jesus cannot experience.

The Resurrection Gives us Hope

The resurrection gives hope for the future. Hope in this context is not just wishful thinking, but in the biblical context, hope becomes a sure fire thing: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” (Hebrews 11:1) 

Hope has substance, is tangible, is weighty. Jesus promises that He is the resurrection and the life. His resurrection promises that you will be raised one day too because He is the resurrection (John 11:25; Hebrews 11:35; Revelation 20:5). 

He proves this by being raised. It is the basis for faith.

The Resurrection Builds Trust

The resurrection shows that you can trust Jesus implicitly. 

The resurrection proves all He said to be true. 

If He were not raised everything He said would be brought into fresh focus on the backdrop of doubt. 

All the authorities had to do was to produce the body of Jesus to quell any preaching about Christ after He had died. They could not. 

If the disciples had managed to overpower the Romans on guard duty at the tomb, which would have been more humiliating than anything for them, and hide Jesus’ body this would have come to light sooner or later. 

There were not many places a body could be hidden before being noticed. Decay in a first century setting would set in pretty quickly and be discovered. Even after a few days with a proper burial Lazarus stank, apparently (John 11:39). 

It means every promise He speaks over your life today can also be taken at face value too. 

He will not leave you, not abandon you, will fight your corner, intercede for you, and love you beyond reason.

The Resurrection Creates a New Mindset

Christians treat death differently than they did before they were Christians.

No one likes the idea of dying physically, the mechanics of what takes place, the lack of life. Everyone wants to die peacefully at home in bed, with no illness or disease clawing away their life. No one wants to die in tragic circumstances. 

This is true even for the Christian. I have some bad news for you: being a Christian is no guarantee of a peaceful death. Some of the most stunning servants of God died in unpleasant ways. 

The manner in which a Christian dies is not the reward, it is what comes after death that is the reward. 

The resurrection proves death is defeated, the final enemy vanquished. The Bible puts it like this: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). 

It does not matter how death tries to claim you, awaiting at the end of this is Jesus, keys of death around His neck, smiling to embrace you! 

The resurrection means death for you is not the end, but the beginning of the rest of a blessed eternity. 

The Resurrection Proves Jesus’ Promises

The resurrection proves He is coming back. If everything He says is trustworthy then be assured, He’s coming back for you too. 

John 14: 1-4 records Jesus amazing words about this to believers: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.” 

It is so important to understand that Jesus saw His death and resurrection as part of the process of going and preparing a place in preparation for His co-heirs. Why prepare a place if there are to be no occupants of the mansions in heaven? When things are ready, He’ll be back for you. 

The Resurrection Changes the Present

Finally, although this list is in no way exhaustive, the resurrection changes everything for you in life, now. 

Not only is there the sense of optimism, hope and surety of our future in God, there is another promise that is only possible because of His resurrection. 

He sends the Holy Spirit! 

Listen to His words again from John’s gospel and the book of Acts: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—  the Spirit of truth… All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. He sends the Spirit,” and,“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” (John 14:16-17, 25-26; Acts 1:8-9). 

These incredible promises are given by Jesus anticipating and after the resurrection! He sends the Spirit. 

The Spirit is only sent and present with you because Jesus has risen and is now taken up His rightful place at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34). 

This means that the Christian life is a life that has a Counsellor, a guide, a confidant, an empowerer who resides within. This is only possible because of the resurrection! 

Wrapping this up:

If you’ve got pain, He’s a pain taker. If you feel lost, He’s a way maker. If you need freedom or saving, He’s a prison-shaking Saviour. If you’ve got chains, He’s a chain breaker.

You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer

God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart:

"Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Saviour and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

Did you pray this prayer?