Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It Is To Men As They Are

"Preach The Word"

What A Morning!
(Sunrise Service Sermon)

Text: Luke 23:50-24:12

Introduction:

What a joy to consider some of the events that surrounded the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Though you may not visit the empty tomb in this life, you can take a trip through God’s wonderful truth. The empty tomb was a place of happenings. It was located right at the foot of the hill where Jesus was crucified. I know this morning that we are standing in front of three crosses, but the graves around us remind us of a tomb. The body of Jesus was placed in a borrowed tomb, belonging to a rich man, by the name of Joseph of Arimithea.

Our Lord’s body was buried late on Friday afternoon. The women rested on the Sabbath which began at sunset that evening. The purchased anointing oil after sunset that closed the Sabbath or Saturday. Very early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, the women left Bethany , which was about 2 miles from Jerusalem, and arrived at the tomb just after sunrise. The sun had already risen before they reached the tomb.

Think together for a few minutes about "What a Morning!"

I. What a Morning When the Stone Was Rolled Away

V.2 says, "They found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre."

Why was the stone removed? Not so Jesus could get out. Later Christ meets with the disciples and with the doors shut in the upper room, all the sudden He appears in their midst, with all the doors being shut. Christ did not have to open the door to get in, He simply walked in, while the door was shut, just as there was no door. Since that is true, we know that He would not be necessary for an angel to remove the huge stone so He could get out. The stone was removed so the women and the disciples could look inside and see that death could not hold Him down.

By the way, He is still rolling away stones in our lives that would get in the way of us catching a proper glimpse of Him. Satan tries to bring huge stones into our lives that would keep us from gazing by faith upon the Lord Jesus, but believer, greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world..

II. When They Could not Find the Body Of Jesus

Verse 3 says, "They entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus." It was not removed by Jesus enemies or stolen by the disciples, but there had been a resurrection. Verse 12 says when Peter came into the tomb that the linen clothes were laid by themselves. It had not been some kind of haphazard theft of a body from a gravesite, the clothes were neat and in order. Christ came through those grave wrappings. They had not been disturbed and wrapped off as they were wrapped on. Christ simply came through those grave wrappings as though they were not around Him. That left them in a very neat state--all intact in one spot where His body had been laid.

If you were to go the grave of those who began religions like Budda, Mohammed, or whoever else you may name, you will find their bodies are entombed in various locations around the world. But, not so with Jesus. We are the only faith, founded hundreds of years ago, whose leader cannot be found in a tomb.

Note:

In Jerusalem, where the tomb of Jesus is, there is a sign on the door of the sepluchre of Jesus which says, "He is not here, He is risen." If Christ had not risen from the dead, he would have been a liar and imposter. But, hallelujah, He arose just like he said He would. CHRIST SAID, " DESTROY THIS TEMPLE AND IN THREE DAYS, I WILL RAISE IT UP AGAIN."

v.4 tells us: "Two men stood by them in shining garments"

They women entered into the sepluchre, and were very perplexed. To be "perplexed" is to be baffled, perplexed, confused, befuddled, dumbfounded, or puzzled.

Why were the garments of the angels shining? Why did they have a brilliance about them, that human garments do not have? They were the ministers of God with the brightness of the glory world about them. The gave a little glimpse, simply by their appearance of the glory of involved in the resurrection of Christ.

What a blessed morning it would be if we could get a glimpse of angels, with the brilliance of heaven around them. Well, you can by the eye of faith through the Word of God. THIS EVENT MENTIONED IN THE SCRIPTURE IS JUST AS REAL AS THOUGH I WERE THERE AND SAW IT TRANSPIRE. That is what faith does!

Verse 6 tells us that an angel said, "Why seek he the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen."

What good news that was to the women who came. They didn’t really expect a resurrection to occur. They were bringing spices they had bought the previous evening to come and anoint the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is difficult to anoint a body when it is not there.

When they heard that He had arisen, though they did not expect it, what glad tidings it was to them! How wonderful it was to know that the cruel jaws of death, could not hold down the Lord Jesus Christ!

In v.7 the angels remind the women there, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." The Bible then tells us, after hearing what the angel said, about what Jesus said concerning His resurrection, "AND THEY REMEMBERED HIS WORDS."

It is a glad morning when we remember the word of the Lord concerning the resurrection of believers.

1 Cor 15:42-44 declares:

42 It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

1 Cor 15:51-53 reminds us:

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

VI. When They Were Moved To Testify

In verse 9 the Bible says, "They told all these things to the eleven and to the rest."

After seeing what they had seen, they could not help but to tell others about the empty tomb. We need some more "just can’t help it,"witnessing in our day and time. A witness is one that declares what he has seen or heard. The main reason there is so little witness of Christ today is that most folks have not heard anything from Him, or seen anything of Him. What a morning:

VII. When Peter Ran To the Sepulchre

V.12 says, "Then arose Peter and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the line clothes laid by themselves and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass."

He was anxious to get involved in the things of Christ. If you will remember, he denied the Lord three times, just outside the Hall of Ciaphas, the high priest, just before the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter was no doubt a believer and that bothered him greatly. The Spirit of God and his own conscience had convicted him of what he had done. Now he wanted to see Jesus again.

Conclusion:

As we ready this account in Luke 24 of Christ’s resurrection it makes us think of what a morning, when the ransomed church of God’s bodies are raised from the grave, glorified and to sin no more. What a morning! What a morning! Hallelujah what a morning!

SERMON FROM DR. TOM WALKER
PASTOR ZION HILL BAPTIST-- MARION, NC-USA

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