We're going to listen this morning now to the story of the resurrection found in Luke. We'll be reading most of chapter 24. We're going to move from hopelessness to a burning within our hearts. Luke 24. It begins with the word but, this powerful word in the scriptures that connects what previously was going on but completely contrasts it. Here we go. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared, And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel, and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, why do you seek the living among the dead? He's not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you when He was still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise? And they remembered His words and returning from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and other women with them who told these things to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb, stooping and looking in. He saw the linen clothes by themselves, and he went home marveling at what had happened. That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, what is this conversation that you're holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still looking sad. Then one of them named Cleopas answered him, are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? And he said to them, what things? And they said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, the man who was a prophet, mighty indeed, and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find His body, they came back saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see. And He said to them, O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he was going to go further, but they urged him strongly saying, stay with us for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures, And they arose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the 11 and those who were with them gathered together saying, the Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon. Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. And as they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, watch the first word, peace to you. But they were startled and frightened, and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, have you anything here to eat? So they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, Thus it is written, that Christ should suffer, and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things, and behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." The Word of the Lord to us this morning of the resurrection story. Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, I asked you a question this morning, why do you love Resurrection Sunday? I have some answers to that question I want to give you, but I've been about probing with some of you on why you love Resurrection Sunday. I'll include some of your answers at the end, but here's, here's seven of mine real quick. Are you ready? Number one, what do I love about Resurrection Sunday? It's this. It's the story where the good guy wins and the bad guy loses. Amen? That's the story we have today. The good guy, can I put it that rough? You've been so patient with me through the last two years. Let me give it to you. The good guy won and the bad guy loses. And as I read the book of Psalms, it's so often within the Psalms that the psalmist is just crying out because, Every time he turns around, the bad guy's winning and the good guy's losing. But that's not this story. Check out the final scoreboard. Christ wins, Satan loses. Righteousness wins, unrighteousness loses. Justice wins, injustice loses. Isn't that good news? I love Resurrection Sunday because Jesus Christ is the victor. Psalm 1036, the Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He takes care of His people on Resurrection Sunday. Psalm 140, 12, I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and will execute justice for the needy. Psalm 146, 7, He executes justice for the oppressed. He gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoner free. The light has come and the darkness has fled in terror. I love this day. John 1, 5, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it ever. Even there on the cross, darkness lost. 1 John 2, 8, the darkness is passing away. Joy and peace, rain and pain and suffering are wiped away. I suffer now with hope because He lives. So mark it down. The good guy has won. The bad guy has lost. I know Satan wins his little battles today, but I tell you, he's chained. The only thing that awaits him is the abyss. So, Mark this down again, Satan. You lost. Jesus won. And that's the way we need to be living, in that truth. Our justification hinges on the victory of Jesus Christ. He was delivered over to death for our sins, and He was raised to life for our justification, Romans 4. A dead Savior cannot save, but we have a living Savior who justifies and makes intercession for us. Your sins and my sins are forgiven." Jesus Christ made full atonement and then rose from the dead. Second reason. Christians love Resurrection Sunday because we are on His team. Listen to me. I just said to you that He won. Amen? Totally. He won. But with Him, we won, too, because we're not spectators sitting on the bleachers watching this eternal game. We're in it. Because we're in Christ, that's where He's placed us and called us to be. Romans 6, 4, we have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. When Jesus rose from the dead, so did we. We are in Christ. Third answer. Third answer. Because it blasts into my mind a thousand and one questions that no matter how I answer them, it's all good. It's all good. I got a thousand and one questions. But no matter how I answer them, it's all good. I know, I know, I know. We don't have all the answers from the Lord to answer all our thousand and one questions. I've got to wait, you've got to wait for some of these questions to be answered. So we need to walk carefully here. I'll be careful, but don't miss my point. My point is this, with all the questions that the resurrection just erupts in our mind, I mean, come on, how did he eat that fish and then just disappear? How do you do that? How do you touch him and feel his flesh and his bones, and yet he can just be gone? I've got a lot of questions. You've got a lot of questions. But we'll be careful here, because the Scripture gives us answer to some questions, but not all of them. We walk by faith, not by sight. Yet, don't miss the point, however you answer all the questions that blast into your mind because of the resurrection, however you answer them, it's good. Here's a few of my 1,001 questions. What will it be like to be an inheritor of God and co-inheritor with Christ? Romans 8, 17. What will it be like to see Jesus seated on the throne in all of His glory? I'm getting close to that day. Some of you are getting really close, statistically. What will it be like to hear the angelic choir sing His praise? Cat, the choir was awesome. That angelic choir. Stand by. What will it be like to see the elders casting their crowns at His feet? What will it be like to have my soul joined to a resurrected, sinless, Christ-captivated body? I don't have that right now. You don't either. What a change it's going to be When from the very core of your soul you will no longer have a sin nature, what will that be like? What will it be like to walk in the cool of the morning with God? What will it be like to walk on a new earth and to see the garden? I just can't wait to see my relatives in glory, but oh, to look upon His face. I'm anxious to get to heaven, but I'm even more excited to get to the new earth with a new body. What will it be like to have a body that never hurts, aches, and gets sick? Sorry, I know some of you are doctors here. You're going to lose your job. I'm sorry. It's true of lawyers, true too. What does it mean that Jesus has gone on to prepare a place for me? What will it be like? What will the body of my sister who died at four, what will her body be like? Will she have a mature body? I don't know. I'm anxious to see her and to find out what body will our Will my daughter and son have that we, my first wife and I, lost in miscarriage? My daughter's birthday is tomorrow. We named her Tina at the hospital, but we didn't get to go home with her. But I'm going to go and see her one of these days. Do you have questions? However you answer them, the answer is good because we'll be with Jesus, and He's making everything good. So that's the third thing I thought of on why I love the Resurrection Sunday. because He gives us hope today, right now today, a new and living hope. We read it this morning from 1 Peter 1, 3, where Peter just cries out, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He just cries that out. I don't know what tone to put on that verse. The crucifixion brought the full gospel of redemption by grace to sinners such as you and me because Christ made the atonement for our sins. But the resurrection brought me every reason to be sure, to be confident, to be positive that this gospel of Jesus Christ is true. No other religion has a risen Savior. Not one. We do. Why? Because Christianity is true. So, to glorify Christ, I must trust Him, and then I must also rise up and be sure of His finished work. Here's the fifth answer. Why do I love Resurrection Sunday? Why do you love Resurrection Sunday? Here's one. Because it's a story. It's a historical event. that shows power in a never-before-seen way. And you may say to me, wait a minute, Pastor, I'm not quite sure that's true. Others rose from the dead, Pastor, so I don't think, no, no, no, no, no, no. Anyone else that rose from the dead, even on that night of the crucifixion, even that, died again. But Jesus Christ rose with a resurrected body, which you and I will also have someday. So he was dead, but then he was risen. Acts 2.32, this Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of this. And no one came around and said, you guys are a pack of liars. because they were living witnesses. Some 500 of them in 1 Corinthians 15 are recorded. 500 people rose up and said, yes, yes, we saw him, we saw him. You march 500 people into a courtroom and say, nope, that's the way it happened, nope, that's the way it happened, nope, that's the way it happened. What's the jury gonna come to the conviction of? And it happened, of course. So this is a power. He was risen, but also, Scripture teaches, that he raised himself. 1 Thessalonians 4. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus Christ, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord. that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of the archangel, with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage, encourage one another, encourage one another with these words." That's what we want to be today. We want to leave this place encouraged. Because he who had the power to cause the Son of God to come back to life has the same power to send His Son to bring to us a risen new life. So when you're getting close to your deathbed, and maybe that doctor says, there's just nothing more we can do, you can smile with great hope, for you know Jesus is going to raise you from the dead. What power! We Christians believe amazing truths because of the amazing power of our God. Why do I love the resurrection Sunday? Because life is better than death. Put more bluntly, I could get a little tired of talking about death. Friday night is just weighty service, weighty. The death of Christ, my sins, your sins, there on the cross, what a weighty service. The wrath of God pouring upon His Son. It's overwhelming. I got home, I was just like a wrung out rag, just tired, overwhelmed. Death is cold, but life has warmth. Death has pain, but life has health. Death has emptiness, life has fullness. Death has sorrow, life has joy. Death has an ugliness. We saw Friday night, didn't we? The dirtiness of it, but life has a purity. Jesus said, I've come to give you life and to have it to the full, but Satan said, you'll not surely die. What a liar. April can be a hard month. It teases us with a few warm days and then smacks us with this Michigan winter, doesn't it? Life can be hard, but we know the resurrection is coming. Why do I love Resurrection Sunday? Just put this down. Life is better than death, and God brings us life. He's the God of life. He loves life. I'm picturing here at this moment Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, weeping. One answer as to why He was weeping, just one, one answer? I don't think He likes death. Six, because of the symbolism of new life, when it is When it's a dark, cold resurrection Sunday, we've had some of those, haven't we? You know, snow on the ground. It just doesn't fit. But a beautiful morning like today, you know, a rainy, cold Friday night, that fit. And a glorious day like that, this fits. We have the stone rolled away. We have the grave clothes laying on the table. We have the empty tomb. We've got all these wonderful pictures of a change that's occurring. And isn't it fun to walk around your yard and just see some daffodils popping up and maybe some crocus or something? I don't know. Maybe get some lilies like we've got around here today. It's just so great to see life coming back and all of its symbolism. It's a joyful time. I hope today you celebrate. Around your dinner table, I hope there's love and I hope there's laughter. I've been on the watch for Orioles. I haven't seen any yet. The Robins been here. No Orioles on my feet just yet. Well, they will come because there's a change coming. We have it in Michigan. We understand this. We relate to this. There's a change occurring. Listen, there's a change occurring within our hearts from the power of the resurrection. I love that. Seventh reason, I love the Easter songs. I love the Easter songs. What song is your favorite? If you don't want to sing at your table today, maybe the kids don't like to sing, so I don't know. Read a song this morning. Read a song when you get together. Listen, like this, I serve a risen Savior. He's in the world today. I know that He is living, whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy. I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him. He's always near. Or, are we saying it? We have got to sing this song on Resurrection Sunday. Christ the Lord is risen today. Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high. Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens and earth, reply, Alleluia! Gone is the darkness and horror the somberness of the music that carried us into Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. It's time for us to sing resurrection songs. Sing some songs today that bring joy to your heart. I must give warning this morning. For all the reasons Christians love Resurrection Sunday, non-followers of the Lord Jesus Christ should be frightened of. I said it is a story of stories where the good guy wins and the bad guy loses. Let me ask you this morning, whose team are you on? The resurrection proved Jesus' deity, confirmed all the prophecies concerning Him, validated the Scriptures, triumphed over the forces of evil, provided for our justification, and guaranteed the resurrection of all who trust in Christ. So trust in Christ. I love Resurrection Sunday. I gave you some of my reasons. What are yours? I'd love to hear them. Here's a few that I heard. These weren't mine, so these are some that I heard. Some of you said it's further proof that His promises are sure, meaning the Bible is always dependable. Some of you said it puts our life into balance and proper life perspective. It's a day of celebration. And as I said, I like celebrating. Let's celebrate today. Someone says, it tells me of a risen Lord who goes out walking with the confused, lost, and questioning, and speaks truth to them, like these two guys on the road to Emmaus. Isn't that an amazing story? On the day Christ rises from the dead, he doesn't show himself to the multitudes. He finds two guys walking along down a road, heading east, heading out of Jerusalem. without any hope, without any full understanding, eyes that were blind, minds that couldn't understand, and he walks with them, and he talks with them, and he reveals himself to them. What a great day this is. with a God who is so kind to us that His Spirit would be with us today and help us in any confusion we have, in any disbelief we might carry, in any sin that we might still be battling. He walks with us. And when He revealed Himself, what did these two guys want to do? They wanted to get back with the rest of the believers in Christ. Seven miles they walked. Come on now. And then they had to turn around and walk it back. And it says it was getting towards evening. They must have hustled that last seven miles. Because Jesus showed up again for them to see. That's the Lord we serve, and that's the Lord we sought to worship this morning when we came here, amen? And God, it's been good to be in our midst. Don't you love Resurrection Sunday? Share today. What do you love about this day? Let's pray. Our Father, thank you for this glorious day. Thank you for just the joy of being together with other believers this morning and having you in our midst, and this has just been a taste, just a taste. of what's to come for all of eternity. Lord, thank you. Thank you for the singing, for the choir, and the joy that's in our midst, for we serve a risen Savior. So Father, thank you for your many glorious blessings to us.