Luke 24:1-12; 36-48
OH, WHAT A MORNING!
Intro: Our Bibles are filled with statements about the
morning. We are told that our Savior prayed early in
the morning. Joshua, in the Old Testament, is pictured
as a man who rose up early in the morning. Think of
that morning in Gen. 22 when Abraham rose up early
and took Isaac to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him. What a
morning it was for Jacob when he awakened from sleep
in the morning and set up a pillar of stones in honor of
God at Bethel. It must have been a glorious morning for
Daniel when the first rays of sunshine lit up the city of
Babylon after that night in the lions den. Imagine how
beautiful was the morning for the disciples after they
spent that terrible night on the Sea of Galilee in that
storm. Yes, all of these were great mornings. However
none of them can compare to the morning that is
discussed in the passage we have read this morning.
I would like for us to spend some time today looking
at that great morning when our Lord, Jesus Christ,
conquered death, Hell and the grave forever. There
has never been a morning like that before, nor shall
there ever be one like it hereafter. Oh what a morning
it was when Jesus rose again! Oh what a morning it
was when He pulled the stinger from death and gave
life eternal to all those who will place their faith in Him.
Oh, what a morning that was! Now, please understand
that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus has effects that
reach down to this very day. You see: HE IS ALIVE this
morning! Please join me for a few minutes as we
journey through these verses and think on the thought:
Oh, What A Morning!
IT WAS A MORNING OF:
I. V. 1 SOLEMN REFLECTIONS
A. As the morning began to dawn on the first day of
the week after Jesus had died on the cross, some
women came to the tomb to finish anointing the
body of our Lord for His burial. This anointing
process had been started by Nicodemus and
Joseph of Arimithea on the day our Lord died,
John 19:38-42. While these women were
heading to the tomb, our Lord's disciples were
locked up inside the Upper Room trembling in
fear that the same kind of death that Jesus had
met awaited them also, John 20:19.
Certainly, these women were sad and the
disciples were scared. Just as the Jesus has
said, the Shepherd had been smitten and the
sheep had scattered, Mark 14:27.
B. Why were they so upset? They had all believed
Jesus to be the Messiah. They had placed their
faith in Him and they had expected that He would
set up His Kingdom, throwing off the Roman yoke
of bondage. Even though He had told them of
the cross and of the resurrection, they had never
grasped the message, or the meaning of Christ's
words. Now, He is dead! The One that they had
placed all their hopes in was gone. This man
Who had so radically changed their lives by His
power and had demonstrated the love and power
of God to them had died a violent and humiliating
death. Surely, it was a sad day for His followers!
C. As I reflect on the sadness of the disciples, I can
understand their grief! Even Paul spoke about it
in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. He tells us that if
Jesus were dead this morning, then we all have
reason to grieve! If Jesus is dead, then we are all
headed to Hell and none has hope beyond this
life. And, even in this life, we are most miserable!
I. It Was A Morning Of Solemn Reflections
IT WAS A MORNING OF:
II. V. 2-12 STARTLING REVELATIONS
A. In the midst of their sadness on that morning,
God the Father took great pains to minister to the
needs of their hearts. Aren't you glad that the
Lord cares when you hurt? He moved in several
mighty ways to encourage the hearts of these
saddened believers. Note a few of the things He
did:
1. He rolled the stone away from the tomb - v.
2; Mark 16:2-3; Matt. 28:2. (Ill. Not to let Jesus
escape, but to allow man the opportunity to
look in!)
2. He sent an angelic messenger with the
good news that Jesus was alive from the
dead - v. 4-7; Matt. 28:2-7; Mark 16:5-7. (Ill.
Never has the world heard a message like
that one! It still reverberates through the halls
of time and will through out eternity - He is
Alive!)
3. He had a word of encouragement for Peter,
who had denied Him - Mark 16:7.
4. He met Mary Magdalene outside the tomb -
John 20:11-17. (Ill. She had a great love for
the Master - Mark 16:6.) (Ill. Great love
begets great love - Luke 7:47; 1 John 4:19)
5. He left a message for His followers inside
the tomb - John 20:5-8.
***NOTE***
The following illustration cannot be proven to be true. The source is unknown and it may or may not speak to an actual tradition. Use at your own risk.
(Ill. The oriental
custom of the napkin. When a man with
servants was eating a meal, he would use his
napkin to signal them during the course of the
meal. If he left the table and wadded his
napkin up, it meant that he was finished and
would not be back. If, however, he neatly
folded the napkin, it told his servants that he
was stepping away for a moment, but he
would be back! Jesus was telling His
disciples, "I may be out of your sight right
now, but I'll be right back!")
6. He revealed Himself to other disciples as
they traveled - Luke 24:13-35.
B. There were many other things that took place on
that resurrection morning that marked it as a
great and glorious day. For us, 2,000 years
removed from the resurrection, the message has
not changed one bit! We still need to hear the
good news that Jesus has risen from the dead!
He is alive today and there is hope for tomorrow!
(Ill. That person who is trapped in sin and sees no
avenue of escape needs to know that Jesus
made a way to set you free! You need to know,
dear friend, that if you come to Jesus for salvation
or for help that He will be there to hear you, to
save you and to help you through this life.
Everyone in the building needs to know that
Jesus is alive!)
C. Thank God for the proof that Jesus lives! There
is a song we sing sometimes around Resurrection
Day that says 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 nned Him He's always near.
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
along life's narrow way.
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
I. It Was A Morning Of Solemn Reflections
II. It Was A Morning Of Startling Revelations
IT WAS A MORNING OF:
III. V. 36-43 STUNNING REALIZATIONS
A. While the disciples were cowering in the Upper
Room out of fear for their lives, something
miraculous happened in their presence. Jesus,
the One Who had died just three days before,
was standing in their midst! They were terrified
and thought they saw a ghost. However, Jesus
had some news to tell. He showed them the nail
holes in His hands and in His feet and to prove
that He was real, He offered to let them touch
Him and then He sat down with them to eat.
Most of the disciples hadn't believed until this
moment, now they are convinced, Jesus is alive!
(Ill. The statement: "And while they yet believed
not for joy, and wondered..." means that it
seemed too good to be true. They were beside
themselves with joy and couldn't believe what
they were seeing! It was an exciting moment for
the disciples of our Lord.)
B. This is what needs to happen in the lives of many
people living in our world today. Men need to
realize that Jesus Christ is more than a baby in a
manger or some poor old fellow Who got Himself
crucified. He is more than a story in a dusty old
book. People need to understand that Jesus is
alive! He is real and that He is the only hope
people have of missing Hell and getting to
Heaven, John 14:6; Acts 16:31. We need to
grasp the truth this morning that it was not some
bonnet wearing, basket toting, egg hiding bunny
rabbit that dies for you and me and then arose
from the dead. This day is about Jesus! It is
about the fact that He died for our sins while we
were yet sinners, Rom. 5:8. It is about the fact
that He was buried and then three days later, He
kicked the backdoor out of the tomb for ever and
made a way for you and me to enter into eternal
life by our merely trusting Him as our Savior!
(Ill. Who is Jesus to you? Is He just a story on
the page of a book, or is He real in your heart this
morning? You see, just knowing about Jesus and
what He did will not save your soul. You have to
know Him in a personal and real way before you
can be saved from your sins and from an eternity
in Hell! Who is Jesus to you? It is a question that
must be faced by all men. Jesus posed it to His
disciples, Matt. 16:15:16, "Whom say ye that I
am?" Peter had the right answer, do you?
Another question that needs to be asked and
answered is the one asked by Pilate in Matt
27:22, " What shall I do then with Jesus which
is called Christ?" What is your answer to these
important questions this morning?
I. It Was A Morning Of Solemn Reflections
II. It Was A Morning Of Startling Revelations
III. It Was A Morning Of Stunning Realizations
IT WAS A MORNING OF:
IV. V. 44-48 SPIRITUAL REPERCUSSIONS
A. As they ate that first Resurrection Morning, Jesus
began to tell His disciples that God's plan was to
save the world. They had been called by the
Father to be witnesses of that and they were to
spread the news that a great spiritual victory had
been won when Jesus arose from the dead.
B. When Jesus arose from the dead, old enemies
that had plagued man since sin entered into the
world were forever defeated that day. Let's take
a moment to notice a few of them right now.
1. Death - Imagine the struggle that ensued early
that morning as death had to give up the
Prince of Life! No more would death be able
to claim the victory and sting with human race
with its bitter curse. Jesus entered into deaths
domain and rendered it helpless. Now, for the
child of God, death is merely the doorway
from this land of sorrow to that Heavenly land
of splendor where every tear shall be wiped
from every eye and the saints of God will live
forever in the glorious presence of our exalted
Savior! (Ill. 2 Cor. 5:8; 1 Cor. 15:54-57.)
2. Hell - When Jesus entered death for mankind,
He descended into a place called Hell. He
went to the paradise portion of that land of the
dead, Luke 16:19-31. This was the same
place that the redeemed thief on the cross
went to when he died, Luke 23:43. Jesus
went down there and proclaimed liberty to
every person in that place who had died
looking forward to His coming in faith, 1 Pet.
3:18-19. Then, when He arose from the dead
and ascended to His Father in Heaven, the
Bible tells us that He took those souls with
Him to the Father in Heaven, Eph. 4:8-10.
Now, all those who believe in Jesus go directly
to the Father when they leave this world. Hell
has forever been removed for the child of
God!
3. The Grave - Another enemy that died that day
was the grave. All his life, man lives in fear of
that moment when he will lay down his body in
death. As one of our members and I were
talking the other day, we are ready to go to
Heaven, but we will always fight for that next
breath! However, I am afraid that we have the
wrong perspective when it comes to the grave.
That hole in the ground is nothing more than
a place to store this old worn out, sin-ridden
carcase until the day of the resurrection!
When we lay this flesh down in death, our
spirits ascend to the Father in Heaven, 1 Cor.
5:8. The next time we see our bodies, they
will be glorified and will be like His body, 1
Thes. 4:13-18; 1 John 3:1-3. One of these
days, the grave will have to give up the body
that has been placed there and that body will
be forever changed into one just like that worn
by our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ill. Instead of weeping at the side of a
departed saint, we ought to shout ourselves
hoarse. They have outstripped us and are
already home with Jesus in glory. My what a
blessing to know!)
4. Sin - Another enemy that died that day was
sin. Now, in truth, sin had been taken care of
three days earlier on the cross, but the
resurrection of Christ from the dead is the
Father's "Amen" to the sacrifice of the Son on
the cross. You see, a dead Savior can save
no one! But One Who is alive can save all
who come to Him by faith - Heb. 7:25. That is
a big verse and promises great things to
everyone who will believe its message. Folks,
sin doesn't have to defeat you! Jesus won the
victory over sin on the cross and nailed its
coffin lid shut when He arose from the dead.
You can be free by faith in Jesus.
5. Satan - I'll mention just one more enemy that
took a beating that day. His name is Satan,
the devil, old slew foot, the dragon, the
accuser of the brethren, that old serpent,
whatever name you want to call him, the
outcome is the same. He is the enemy of
God and of the people of God. He tried every
way he could to short-circuit Christ's plans to
go to the cross, (Ill. The babies in Bethlehem;
the storm on Galilee; the Temptation; the
oppression in Gethsemane, etc.) However,
Jesus endured every temptation, He
weathered every storm and made it to the
cross. When He cried "It is finished!", Satan
heard the foundations under his kingdom
begin to crack. Three days later, when Jesus
arose from the dead, Satan witness the total
destruction of every plan and every scheme.
He saw his power broken and himself judged.
He was defeated forever by the Lord Jesus!
(Ill. Let me read you what the Bible says about
the devil's future - Rev. 20:1-3, 7-10! Glory!
Victory has forever been won over the devil!)
C. Do you understand it yet?
Because Jesus lives, You and I can be saved by
the grace of God.
Because He lives, we can have our sins washed
away forever.
Because He lives, we can go to Heaven when we
leave this world.
Because He lives, the grave has no power over
those who believe.
Because He lives, eternal live is our present
possession.
Because He lives, one day we too will live with
Him in that heavenly city.
Because He lives, I'll never have to take a step in
this world alone.
Because He lives, there is hope, there is help and
there is a home awaiting us in eternity.
Because He lives, I am alive.
Because He lives, my sins have been removed as
far as the east is from the west.
Because He lives, my name is written in the
Lamb's book of life.
Because He lives, God is my Father.
Because He lives, sin has no more dominion over
me. Because He lives I am saved forever.
Oh, the list could go on forever. Until we had
exhausted all the vocabulary and language of
men. What we need to understand this morning
is that HE LIVES!!
Conc: I ask you, have you come to the realization that
Jesus is alive and that He is Who you need? Do you
understand what will happen if you die without Him? Do
you realize that there is no other way into Heaven than
through the Lord Jesus Christ? Did you know that He
loves you? Did you know that His death was for you?
Did you know that His death will not mean anything to
you until you bow before Him in repentance and humility
and confess you sins unto Him? Did you know that you
could do that very thing this morning and be forever
saved today? You can! All you have to do is come to
Him. All you have to do is believe in Him! All you need
to do is leave where you are sitting and come before
the Lord today and be saved by grace!
Oh, what a morning that was when Jesus rose
again! Why not let this be the morning when you allow
Him to fix whatever is wrong in you heart today? Hey,
He lives and He lives for you!
