It's good to see so many. A day of celebration. For one day out of 365 days each year, this world is confronted with the opportunity to acknowledge and believe that God, in the form of a man named Jesus, truly died, was buried in a tomb, and three days later, conquered death, and is alive today and forevermore. The world refers to this day as Easter, but I prefer to call it Resurrection Day. Is the word Easter in the Bible? Turn please to Acts chapter 12. Acts 12, and I'm gonna be reading verse four in the Old King James Translation. And when Herod had apprehended Peter, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. There it is. As far as I could determine, this is the only mention of the word Easter in any other translation. All other versions have the word Passover instead of Easter. The Greek word for Easter is Pascha, from which we get the word Passover. This is why you will sometimes hear our Lord Jesus referred to as the Paschal Lamb. In 1 Corinthians 5, verse 7, the Apostle Paul wrote, for indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. The Passover serves as a beautiful picture of the precious blood of God's Lamb covering and blotting out our sin that we might live and be spared from God's righteous wrath that our sin deserved. To be honest, I do not esteem today's holiday more than I rejoice in our Lord's death, burial, and resurrection and the other 51 breaking of breads that we celebrate each Lord's Day throughout the year. We get to do it 52 times. They're all special blessings. Turn please to 1 Corinthians 15. Half the references that I'm gonna read today with you have already been read in the breaking of bread meeting this morning. Thankfully, my message won't be identical. Divine and unique. Verse three, for I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures, and that he was seen. This morning, I want to consider the gospel as Paul stated in these two verses. Books have been written about each of these aspects of the gospel. Obviously, I can only briefly discuss each aspect. Christ, God's anointed Messiah, died for our sins according to the scriptures. What scriptures might Paul have been referring to? the Old Testament scriptures. Irene and I have a relative who attends a mega charismatic church. The pastors of that church primarily only give messages from the New Testament. I think that is not only sad, but I believe it is wrongfully negligent. Luke 24 records the incident of two followers of the Lord discussing the Lord's death as they were walking to the village of Emmaus. When Jesus joined up with them, they explained how the one that they had thought and hoped was the Messiah who would redeem Israel had been crucified. Three days he died ago. Some women who they fellowshiped with had gone to his tomb and claimed that an angel had told them that Jesus had risen from the tomb and was alive, but no one believed them. The hope of those two travelers had not just been deferred, their hope was totally gone. Remember what Jesus said to them? O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not the Christ, the Messiah, to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at the Torah," that's the law of Moses, which is Genesis or Deuteronomy, beginning at the Torah, and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Jesus had forewarned and foretold many of his followers that he was going to be killed. The Old Testament scriptures from Genesis to Malachi contain many verses and passages that foretell and picture the death of God's anointed Messiah. I'm gonna mention just a few. Genesis three, God informed Satan that the seed of the woman, the Messiah, would crush his head, but Satan would bruise his heel. In Genesis 22, Abraham prophetically stated that God would provide himself a lamb for sacrifice. David in Psalm 22 and Isaiah in chapters 50 and 53 both describe in specific graphic detail exactly how the Messiah would suffer both physically and spiritually. Daniel in chapter nine foretold that Messiah would be cut off and when it would occur. Psalm 16.10, Psalm 34.20, Psalm 41.9, Psalm 49.15 are verses that also foretell specifics concerning Messiah's death. What a message those two travelers were privileged to hear. The New Testament is also filled with verses that testify that Jesus truly died. The Roman soldiers were expert killers. And when one soldier took his spear and plunged it into the side and heart of Jesus, The separated red blood cells and plasma that flowed out of that wound was indisputable evidence that that body was dead. Jesus died according to the scriptures. I find it interesting that the Holy Spirit had Paul include the burial of Jesus in the gospel. Why is his burial important? Our Lord's burial and grave was also prophesied according to the scriptures. Isaiah 53 verse nine foretold, and they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death. Psalm 49, 15 states, God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for he shall receive me. Psalm 16, 10, you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One to undergo corruption. In Matthew 12, Some scribes and Pharisees demanded a sign from Jesus to verify his claims of deity, but the only sign they would get was the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and nights, so too he would be three days and nights in the heart of the earth. In other words, he would be buried in a tomb. After his death, Jesus was undeniably buried according to the scriptures. I wanna touch now on some, what I think are easy to overlook aspects of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus' role in the burying of our Lord. Turn if you would to John chapter 19. John 19, and I will begin reading at verse 30. So when Jesus had received the sour vine, he said, it is finished. And bowing his head, he gave up his spirit. Therefore, because it was the preparation day that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for that Sabbath was a high day, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. Verse 33, but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Verse 38, after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 100 pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden, a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus because of the Jews' preparation day for the tomb was nearby. For many years, I have thought that Mary Magdalene was possibly the only one who had truly understood that Jesus was going to die, just as he had forewarned them. In Matthew 26 verse 12, Jesus clearly stated that Mary had poured her fragrant oil on his body for his burial. After some study, I now believe that both Nicodemus and Joseph had also fully comprehended that Jesus would die. not just because of his forewarnings, but also from some of the Old Testament scriptures that we have been considering. Both men were knowledgeable teachers of the law. Let's now consider some specifics. Both men became followers of Jesus, and it seems initially that they were fearful of the power of the scribes, Pharisees, and priests. We're not told when the eyes of their understanding were opened. Maybe the encounter Nicodemus had with Jesus in John 3 was life-changing. Perhaps John the Baptist's statement, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, triggered something in their hearts, something did. It is an assumption, I believe, to think that both men were secret fearful disciples all the time up until the day of the Lord's crucifixion. Joseph was from Arimathea, which is believed to have been about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem and Calvary. Maybe he began making that tomb for himself, but why would he make his tomb about 20 miles from his home? and so relatively close to Calvary. Did you notice in verse 41 that the tomb was in a garden, not a cemetery, in the place where Jesus was crucified? Hmm, how convenient. In chapter 20, verse 15, Mary mistook Jesus to be the gardener. I find it difficult to believe that Nicodemus just happened to conveniently have about 100 pounds of mixture of myrrh, aloe spices, and strips of linen stored at his house, unless he and Joseph had secretly been planning to give their Lord a worthy burial. And scripture does not reveal how long they had been planning it. I find their time factor intriguing. From 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., there was darkness over the land as Christ was judged for our sins. It appears to be shortly after 3 p.m. that Jesus said, it is finished. and he gave up his spirit and died. That means they had to rush to Pilate and beg for the body. Then they had to wait for Pilate to get verification that Jesus was truly dead. Then they had to get the body from Golgotha to the tomb and to get all the spices and linens there, unless they had already put them there. Then they had to try and very tenderly wash the dried and any fresh blood from his limp body. They had to take that thorny crown off of his head and wash his abused face and scalp. It must have brought tears to their eyes to see and try to clean their savior's torn back that resembled a plowed field from the scourging. Imagine them trying to clean the wounds from the large nails. I wonder how it must have been Probably they only had a couple of hours before the Sabbath began. Do you realize that by, excuse me, that by handling that dead body, according to the law in Numbers 19, they were both now unclean. He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean for seven days. unclean seven days until they went through the required purification process. No doubt, Joseph and Nicodemus both lost their position with the Sanhedrin and the temple. And I'm confident in suggesting that they had no regrets about it. Jesus was buried according to the scriptures. Before we think about our Lord's resurrection, the Holy Spirit has burdened me to share some additional thoughts about this topic of burial. Despite my personal hesitancy, I feel led that I should touch on the sensitive issue of cremation. Currently, a growing number of people are choosing to have their body cremated when they die. Consider this question. Does it matter to God if we choose to have our body cremated instead of a simple burial? The primary reason that the practice of cremation is on the rise is it is significantly less expensive, up to 80% or more less expensive. Apart from the rapture, Death is an inescapable reality. I hope to show you from scripture why I've come to personally believe that God prefers burial. First, let's look at how scripture deals negatively with cremation. Both in the Old and New Testaments, we find that God often used the element of fire as a means to execute judgment against sin and defilement. Turn if you would to Deuteronomy 7. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 7, verse 5. But thus you shall deal with them, that is the unbelieving nations, You shall destroy their altars and break down their sacred pillars and cut down their wooden images and burn their carved images with fire. For you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. God desires a holy people for himself. Holy means to be separated from the idols and the sinful practices of the unbelieving nations. Fire was a means of judgment. And in some places in scripture, it was a great dishonor and even a curse not to have a burial. In Jeremiah 22, verse 19, it says of King Jehoiakim, he shall be buried with the burial of a donkey dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that Jehoiakim's body was cast out by the King of Babylon and lay exposed and unburied some distance from the gate of Jerusalem. In Joshua 7, Israel stoned Achan, his family, all he owned, and then they burned them with fire. In 2 Kings 9, Jezebel's body was eaten by dogs. In Psalm 83, it says that Sisera and Jabin perished and became as refuse on the earth. In 1 Kings 21, it states that Ahab's offspring would be eaten by dogs and birds. The Bible clearly states that there is an ultimate judgment coming in which all that is sinful and defiled will be cast by God into a final lake of fire. But what about Christians who have died in fires? Or those who were burned at the stake? Were they being judged by God? I don't believe they were. The powerful God of this world produces evils that can impact so much. We Christians are not exempt or immune from this world's evils and its curse. God in his sovereignty has granted Satan certain allowances with each of us to accomplish God's divine purposes in bringing glory to himself. God's hidden purposes remain perfect. Apart from intentional suicide, none of us have any choice in how we die. And many have not had a choice as to burial or cremation. All through the ages, God's people have experienced countless deaths, violent, countless deaths. Many have died in fires and in the crematories of the concentration camps. Many have been devoured by land and sea creatures. Many have been disintegrated in explosions. In Hebrews 11 states that some were sawn in two. When the moment comes when the dead in Christ are raised, God's word guarantees that the creator will have no problem raising every individual from the dead. I found Abraham's situation and example quite interesting. Abraham was a very rich man, yet I can't find where he ever bought any land except the cave of Machpelah from Ephron in order to bury his wife, Sarah. Abraham was also buried there, as well as Isaac, Rebecca, Leah, and Jacob. Jacob described his life as, few and evil have been the days of the years of my life. but read Genesis 50 and observe how God enabled that deceiver turned prince with God to be honored in his life and burial. In Deuteronomy 34, Moses died and God chose to bury him. Burial was the choice for his beloved son. Why should burial? and how a person's body ends up be an issue. 1 Corinthians 6 verse 19 and 20 reveals why I believe burial matters to God and just might matter to us. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own. For you were bought with a price Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. We do not have the liberty to think, this is my body, I will do with it as I please. Today, many women are using that reasoning to justify murdering the baby God is creating in their womb. Every person has been created by God. Paul wrote, excuse me, Paul wrote that we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice. When a Christian dies, God does not relinquish his ownership of that body. As God's creation, we should have utmost respect for God's ownership of us. As we read in John 19, read it again and carefully observe the loving tenderness of Joseph, Nicodemus, and the women that they demonstrated toward Jesus's dead body. After hearing these thoughts, that I've shared about burial. What should one do if you had a loved one cremated and now you're wondering or maybe even regretting it? Scripture talks about three basic sins. Sins of willful disobedience, unintentional sins, and sins committed in ignorance. Which of those types of sins did the Lord pay for on the cross? All of them. All our sins were laid on Him. Now, you've been listening very carefully, but really listen to what I'm gonna say right now. I do not know if God considers cremation a sin. I do not know. But what if he does? What should we do? Pour out your heart to your Savior that loves you. Rejoice that all your sins have been fully paid for. Then press on to the prize of the high calling of God. God perfectly understands every attitude in our heart. When a loved one dies, it is an opportunity to express the love, honor, and respect we felt for that person. In Romans 12, verse 3, the Holy Spirit moved Paul to make this statement. God has dealt to each one a measure of faith or trust. Everyone has a measure of faith in each choice that we will exercise. Every choice we make in our life will be the result of our heart's faith and trust. The choice will be made according to the faith we have in what God has recorded in the scriptures, his written word, or we can choose to trust in our own opinion more than God's word. Think about that. In the first temptation Satan used in the Garden of Eden with Eve was, has God said? In Matthew four, Satan tried that temptation on the Lord Jesus. And Jesus demonstrated how to squelch every temptation from Satan. It is written, Apart from rapture, every person will die, but all of our valued opinions will die with us. Remember Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don't trust in your own understanding or opinions. Trust in the Lord in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Heaven and earth will pass away, but God's words will not pass away. With every choice we make in life, the foremost desire of our heart should always be to do that which pleases the Lord the most. Life experiences have taught me that I can see things in scriptures that others cannot see, but also others can see things in scripture that I cannot see. What is important is to search the scriptures, then obey Romans 14, five. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. I should not and I will not judge anyone's personal decision about cremation or burial. Choosing burial or cremation is a very personal decision between you and God. I will respect that choice. I have not shared any of my thoughts as commands. They are only my current opinion according to what I have observed in the scriptures. Jesus rose the third day according to the scriptures. First, let me point out something I think is important to understand. The large stone at the entrance of that tomb was not rolled away to let Jesus out. It was rolled away to show that the tomb was empty. There's something about the gospel accounts of the resurrection that makes me kind of sad and disappointed. As has been already pointed out, only a few of the Lord's followers understood that Jesus would be killed. but apparently none of his followers believed that he would rise the third day, even though he had told them he would. What really disturbs me is that in Matthew 28, verse 63, the chief priests, Pharisees, went to Pilate and said, quote, We remember while he was still alive how that deceiver said, after three days I will rise. Therefore, command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away and say to the people, he has risen from the dead. So the last deception will be worse than the first." End quote. The Pharisees and priests had heard and understood Why didn't any of the disciples hear and believe the Lord's word about his resurrection? The gospels record at least six occasions where the Lord told his disciples that he would rise from the dead. When Jesus stood at the grave of Lazarus, he told Martha, your brother will rise again. Those of you who are here in the first meeting should know the answer of Martha's reply. Martha said, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Do you recognize Martha's problem? She presumed that she already understood all about the resurrection. and she missed what Jesus had just plainly told her. Brothers and sisters, all of us must be very careful in assuming that we already understand everything about what God says in familiar verses and passages. Sometimes God's word has deeper and additional meanings than what appears on the surface. It is essential that we believe every word that has proceeded from the mouth of God is written word. If an unbeliever were to ask you, why is the resurrection so important to your faith? How would you answer that question? Let's begin an answer with this question. How can we be sure that the righteous God is satisfied that Jesus fully paid for every single one of our sins? Death is the evidence and result of the wages of each one of our sins. Jesus died because of our sins. If Jesus had left any sins unpaid for, he would never have been able to declare that our salvation from God's wrath and judgment was finished. He proclaimed with that loud voice, it is finished. Verses five through eight prove that he fully paid the wages of all sins because he was seen alive by over hundreds of witnesses, many of whom died for their faith because they had seen the living risen Savior. So what are you going to believe? Your own opinion or over the 500 eyewitnesses? The resurrection of the Lord Jesus proves beyond all doubt that God was totally satisfied that his son's sacrifice conquered both sin and death. I'm sure probably all of you are familiar with the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul. Shortly after the Lord's resurrection, Saul was extremely zealous in persecuting any Jew who had become a believer in Jesus, the proclaimed Messiah. On his way to Damascus to bind and probably murder any Christian he could find, suddenly a brilliant light stunned and stopped him in his tracks. A voice from heaven said to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And Saul replied, Lord, who are you? The heavenly voice answered, I am Jesus. And I would like to add the living resurrected Jesus. Paul's life was totally changed. Around half of the letters in the New Testament were written by Paul. I want to finish by reading several direct quotes that Jesus spoke for our encouragement and blessing. Quote, I am the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. I am he who lives and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Because I live, you will live also. Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to everyone according to his work." I love what Peter wrote to the first century Jewish believers who were suffering persecution. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you. What a blessed hope we have in our risen, living Savior. Even so, come Lord Jesus. Father, we're so glad that even as our hearts commune with you right now, we know you're living and we know you're here. We're so thankful that you died, willingly died, that you were buried, that you have risen, and the scriptures prove it all. May we live with this blessed hope and view, and may we remember every day that you are coming, that because you live, we are guaranteed to live also. We praise you and we thank you in your precious name.