The last two songs, it's hard for me to get up here and preach. Let's all stand together for God's Word. We'll be reading from the book of Luke, chapter 24, verses 1-12. Follow along as I read God's Word. 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. And 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 is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you why 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 arise? 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 Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. But these words seemed to them as 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 cloths by themselves, and he went home marveling at what had happened." This is the Word of the Lord. Amen. You may be seated. Our Father, we are so thankful for Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus, And our Father, we're so thankful that You sent Him on a mission to seek and to save those who are lost. And our Father, part of that mission was to go down that Via Dolorosa and then be crucified, buried, and so we could rise victoriously from the grave. And because He lives, we can live. And we're so thankful, our Father, that You have revealed this to us through Your Word and through Your Spirit. And our Father, this morning as we are about to look at Your Word, we ask our Father the same Spirit that inspired the Word will illuminate the Word so we might be able to understand exactly what You would have for us. So, Father, speak. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Who is going to be strong in a time of crises? That's an interesting question. And the reason why is, is often times, even strong men are broken, aren't they? So it was with the disciples. And that's why I admire the unusual courage of these women. Just think with me for a second what they have gone through. They were at the bottom of the cross in Golgotha when they saw Jesus. Why? Because they loved Him. These women went with Joseph of Arimathea to pick up the body of Christ. They were there when they laid Him in the grave. Folks, these ladies had determined even prior to the Sabbath to go back and anoint the Lord's body with spice. Who was the courageous bunch in that day? It was the ladies, wasn't it? Now, what I'd like to do is I'd like to share with you this narrative that is given to us by Dr. Luke. And before I do, I want to just talk about him for a second. What do we know about Dr. Luke? Well, we know that he was a personal physician, right? To the Apostle Paul. And what do we know about a doctor in general? Well, normally, they're very keen observers, are they not? Therefore, Luke gives us some information that no one else gives us from a doctor's perspective. In fact, let me ask you, if you were to look for a doctor today, what kind of a person would you look for? Man or a woman, right? Who has knowledge and understanding. Who did really well in class. You wouldn't want to look for someone like me who slept most of the time in school. What else would you want? You would want someone that could take that information that they learned and then apply it where necessary, right? You would look for someone who could tell you what the problem is and then give you a step-by-step process to help you alleviate the problem. Well, that's what Dr. Luke was all about. And so this morning, I would like us to understand this whole passage of Scripture from his perspective. And we begin with the women, right? Look with me at chapter 24, verse 1. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. It begins with the women who were always about doing the work, weren't they? Even this morning in our breakfast time, the ladies were doing the work. And they knew where they were going. They weren't lost. They knew exactly what they wanted to do. They were bringing spices because they loved the Lord Jesus. And they showed up at the tomb, and I want you to know something, that they went to the tomb and they knew exactly where they were going. Here's what our text says, But on the first day of the week and early dawn they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. And when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. while they were perplexed about this. When those women arrived, they were confronted by two startling facts. Number one, the stone had been eroded away. And unfortunately, in our English language, we miss really the importance of this. Because if you know the tombs that had that big stone, they could roll it in a little track. And they would push it in the track until they shot it, and then they could roll it back, and so the stone would always be there. But when they showed up, the stone was laying on its side. It was gone, away from the track. What else do they learn? They learn that the body of the Lord Jesus was no longer there. Now, follow with me for a moment their response from Dr. Luke's perspective. If you were the women, and you showed up at the tomb, and the tomb was empty, how would you respond? Hallelujah! He is risen! He is risen indeed! But that's not how they responded, is it? In fact, our text tells us that they were perplexed. Then what Luke patiently then begins to explain to us, that these women, did not expect to find the empty tomb. And that's just almost patently obviously why, because that's why they were bringing the spices to anoint his body. So what these ladies needed more than anything else is they needed revelation. They needed to discover the real explanation, you see. But what I want you to see is, is that everybody in this text is perplexed. Nobody was looking for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, that reminds us. And then we say to ourselves, then, what happened? And so Luke, very matter-of-factly, gives us the facts and then gives us an explanation of the facts. Look back in our text, starting in verse 4b. It says, "...Behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel." Angels. Glorious apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, now listen, why do you seek the living among the dead? Now folks, this is a very gentle but firm rebuke. Do you not understand what this morning means? This was the message that the angels were giving to the women. Now, that's a very tolling question for us as well, isn't it? We have gathered here today on Easter, in a sense, to pay our respects to the great Jesus of Nazareth. But let me ask you two quick questions. Do we really understand what this morning means? And are we looking for the living among the dead? Now, remember, the book of Luke is a gospel. And when we look at the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, what is the work of the gospel? The work of the gospel is to convince us that Jesus is the Christ, and then we'll believe in Him. And so that's exactly what Dr. Luke is doing here. He wants us to understand that indeed Jesus is the Christ, and we need to look to Him. So let me ask you this question. Is it possible that you have not found the Lord Jesus because you have been looking in the wrong place? Now, this leads us to our second point. Remember, Dr. Luke is bringing us along. And here's how he's going to do it. Again, he's simply going to state the facts and then give us the explanation. Look in verse 6. He is not here but has risen, remember how He told you why 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 so what Dr. Luke does is he reminds them that Jesus had already previously told them that He was going to be crucified, He was going to die, and He was going to rise victoriously from the grave. And if you would take the time and look back into the book of Luke, what you would find is that three times he tells them. And every time he tells them, he gives them a little more detail. And he said to them, don't you remember what he said? Why he was still with us? He had given us a heads up, you see. Now, I think Dr. Luke does this so that we wouldn't make the mistake that so many people do today. You know, it amazes me how many times I share the gospel with somebody, and they make a statement something like this. Here it is. Jesus was the greatest moral teacher ever. And so, yes, we believe there's a Jesus, and yes, we believe He lived 2,000 plus years ago, and yes, we think He's a great moral teacher. But then they want to leave it at that, right? But listen, Jesus is either who He said He is, or He's the greatest liar in history. And what had Jesus told the disciples and all who would listen? They're taking me to Jerusalem, they're going to crucify me, and on the third day I'm going to rise again from the grave. Now, I also wonder if this is brought out to us in such a way from Dr. Luke that Dr. Luke himself had experienced this himself. And here's how I imagine it. Paul is on his journey, and he's preaching the gospel. And Luke is in the crowd. And the apostle Paul begins to share how Jesus was God's Son, and He came to this earth, and He died, and He was buried, and He rose again. And if they would put their faith and trust in Him, they could have eternal life. Then the Apostle Paul went into his little spiel that we read three times in the book of Acts, how he was confronted with Jesus Himself on the road to Damascus, right? And all of a sudden, Luke said, this is the truth. Jesus is indeed who He says He is. Jesus can forgive sin. And Luke repented and put his faith and his trust in Christ for eternal life. Jesus is alive, and I can know that, and He can be trusted. But folks, listen, how easy it is to seek Jesus as if He was dead. I'm thinking about a conversation I had with someone not long ago, and they said to me, you know, I love the Sermon on the Mount. He was such a great moral teacher. And I did my very best to work it around to... Do you know how the Sermon on the Mount ends? What does Jesus say? I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. Folks, Jesus is not a liar. He has done exactly what He promised. And again, I wonder if this is what gripped Luke. Now, can you see how this leads to very penetrating questions? What difference would it make in your life if Jesus was still in the grave? Let me make it about me personally. Alright, I'm talking about me now. Would it make any difference in my life if Jesus stayed dead in the tomb? Let me rephrase it. Has it made any difference in my life that Jesus rose from the dead? You see, if Jesus wasn't raised, I would be following a deceiver and a liar. But our text says, He is not here, but has risen. He did fulfill His promise. Now listen, doctors can be very uncomfortable at times, can't they? I mean, they're sitting in their office, they're talking to you. They've got their hands on you. They're trying to diagnose the problem. I mean, there's a reason why you're there. And then all of a sudden they put their finger on the problem, and literally sometimes, ah! Now they know the problem. So they now can give us the steps for the solution. And what was the problem here? They were looking for the dead. They were looking for the dead in the graveyard. But Jesus wasn't dead, was He? Now, let's see how this narrative ends. Follow with me starting in verse 8. It says, "...and they remembered His words." Now, don't you just love that? "...and they remembered His words." It was like all of a sudden, duh! Yes, He had told us He was coming back again. 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 Joanna and Mary and the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. Now listen to this. But these words seemed to them an idle tale. And they did not believe him. 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 happened. Let me ask you a question. Why do you think Peter ran to the tomb? Was he excited? Or was he frustrated? Probably the latter, right? And why was he frustrated? Because he thought those silly women went to the wrong tomb. And listen, he too was absolutely unprepared for what he discovers. The testimony of the women is true. The body is missing. And what a marvelous and dramatic ending to this narrative. When Peter arrives at the tomb, we get a great clue as to what happens. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb, stooping and looking in, he saw the linen clothes by themselves. If this was a movie, you could almost see the cameras moving in for all the angle shots, right? And Peter sees the grave clothes of Jesus lying in there like they were still on His body, but the exception, the body was gone, so everything is collapsed. And he sees the napkin all formed up and off to the side. And what is Peter's conclusion? That Peter says, Jesus arose, He got up, and He walked out of there. He realized what that meant. The Lord Jesus had conquered death. You say, Pastor, how do you know that? Well, do you remember his first sermon? It takes place in the book of Acts, chapter 2, at the day of Pentecost, and he's explaining to the people what actually transpired there. And listen to what he says in chapter 2 and verse 24. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, for it was not possible for him to be held by it." It meant that the sacrifice for sin that Jesus said He would make had been accepted by God the Father. So what did this mean to Peter? The possibility of Peter being forgiven for his three denials. What did this mean for Peter? The possibility of Peter once again to enjoy fellowship with Jesus. Isn't it interesting that our text says that Peter came running, but he left marbling? He came running, but he left Now let me ask you a question. Did you come to church today running? Literally probably some of you did, I know. But listen, it's not how you come to church that matters. What matters is how you leave. It's not how you came to sing but the impact of those words that you say. It doesn't matter what you came to hear, but the impact of what you came to hear that matters. Folks, that Christ has risen is the very essence of the gospel. When we understand that Jesus has promised to be with us, what happens is we want to gather together, don't we? As a family. And worship and praise God together. People holding each other accountable. Iron sharpening iron, you see. Since He has risen, The sacrifice for our sins has been accepted. You can be pardoned for sin by faith. No matter what you've ever done. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 1.15, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. And listen, if the Apostle Paul was the chief of sinners, and God could save him for murdering Christians, surely He could save us, can't He? You know, I was reading a couple of days ago about a fellow that was a Methodist pastor in England. And on the very last resurrection day of his life, he was bedridden. And oh, how he wanted to get to church to be with his family. But he wrote in his journal to his son, son, how awful it would be to wake up and not be able to shout. He is risen. He is risen indeed. But then a little bit later in his journal, He wrote this, how much more awful to wake up on resurrection morning and not want to shout, Christ is risen, Christ is risen in me. How about you? Has the resurrection made any difference to you? Or are you still carrying around the guilt of your sins? the failures of your past, the uneasy consciousness of your awful weakness." Remember this. The disciples, the women, they heard Jesus' assertion that He was going to die and rise victoriously from the grave. But they didn't really hear Him, did they? I don't know your heart, but can I ask you, do you really hear that this morning? That Jesus indeed has risen from the grave. And that if you put your heart and soul and trust into Him, you can have eternal life. How terrible would it be If we could not shout, He is risen, He has risen indeed. Now let me just say a word to you folks that already know and love the Lord Jesus. You know, the resurrection is the glorious fact, but it has a part in our life even today, does it not? And because Christ rose, we have victory over sin. Sin no longer has dominion. And so we can change and grow and become more like Jesus day by day. Not in our strength, but in the strength given to us by the grace of God because of what? The resurrection power of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you then be risen with Christ, Seek those things which are above. Colossians 3. Can I ask you one more time? Have you heard the message of the Gospel? He has risen. He has risen indeed. All I can do is tell you that message and it hits your outer ear. It takes the Spirit of God to reveal it to the inner ear. Listen, if you're here without Christ, ask Jesus right now. Help me to see with my heart that Jesus is who He said He is and that He came to save sinners. And I'm one of them. I need you. Save me now. Let's pray together, shall we? Father, thank You for this glorious passage of Scripture. Thank You, our Father, for what Christ has done for us on the cross of Calvary. Father, we just sang, living, He loved us. Dying, He saved us. Buried, He carried our sins far away. Rising, He justified us freely forever. Father, if there's somebody here that has never truly heard this message. Maybe they're like the disciples. They've heard it many times, but it's never affected their lives. May You, through Your Spirit, speak to their hearts even now so they can cry out and ask for salvation in Jesus. And then, Father, for those that know You and love You, what a miserable thing it would be not to be able to wake up and go to the house of God with my brothers and sisters and say, He has risen indeed. Thank you, Father, for that privilege this morning.