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He Has Risen; He Is Not Here

Easter Sunday
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Pastor Jojo Ma

 

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’ 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back -- it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

How would you have felt if you were in the disciples’ shoes?

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

So yes, we look forward to Easter Sunday and rejoicing that Christ is risen from the dead; but in actuality, every Sunday is a remembrance of this monumental truth. Every Sunday gathering is an implicit celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Heb 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Ps 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

The darkness of the crucifixion has passed, the rising of the sun and its light now take over the land. The resurrection of Jesus marks a new beginning for humanity.

Ps 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Ps 59:16 But I will sing of Your strength; I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning. For You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.

Ps 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Ps 143:8 Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.

Lam 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

3 And they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’ 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back -- it was very large.

Matt 28:2 …for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

R.C. Sproul: “In the time of Jesus, the Jews gave little credibility to the testimony of women in the courts of law. They ranked the testimony of women with the testimony of slaves and criminals. They did not think women could be trustworthy witnesses. In light of this bias, it is striking that the New Testament record of the resurrection of Christ is heavily dependent on the testimony of women. If someone wanted to falsify the testimony of the resurrection of Jesus, the last thing he would have done would have been to put the first reports of the resurrection on the lips of women. But Mark is not interested in the law courts. He is interested in truth and conveying exactly what happened, and so he reports the testimony of the women down to the detail of where the angel was standing.”

8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Matt 28:3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

Lk 24:4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.

Jn 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Tim Keller: “The truth of the resurrection is of supreme and eternal importance. It is the hinge upon which the story of the world pivots.”

1 Cor 15:13-19 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Brothers and sisters, how do these words affect you, “He has risen; he is not here”? Will you just go home, back to your normal routine of life, unaffected by the stunning reality of the risen Christ? How does resurrection reality change your outlook today?

Tim Keller: “And to the extent that the [resurrection] is real to you, it will change everything about how you live in the present. For example, why is it so hard to face suffering? Why is it so hard to face disability and disease? Why is it so hard to do the right thing if you know it’s going to cost you money, reputation, maybe even your life? Why is it so hard to face your own death or the death of loved ones? It’s so hard because we think this broken world is the only world we’re ever going to have. It’s easy to feel as if this money is the only wealth we’ll ever have, as if this body is the only body we’ll ever have. But if Jesus is risen, then your future is so much more beautiful, and so much more certain, that that…[If Jesus is risen] who cares what people do to you? You’re free from ultimate anxieties in this life, so you can be brave and take risks. You can face the worse thing, with joy, with hope.”